


Ashfall

by rubric



Category: Cosmere - Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action Dueling, Action/Adventure, Allomancy, Alternative Universe - Cosmere, Alternative Universe - Mistborn, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Kylo Ren Angst, Plot, Plotty, Possessive Kylo Ren, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Protective Kylo Ren, Rey is Vin pretty much, Slow Burn, allomancy and force mashup, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:41:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25115587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubric/pseuds/rubric
Summary: Reylo that takes place in Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn universe.Rey and Kylo end up on Scadrial via a strange call in the Force.  There they find a planet of strange Force users (called Allomancers) and a mysterious Lord Ruler that has the planet in his grip.There will be action, adventure, intrigue, and eventually romance for our two favorite Force users <3---Will try to post a chapter per week!There will be liberties taken with both universes, my first time writing Fanfic (but let’s be real here, writing any fic) I don’t really know what I’m doing lol
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 17
Kudos: 17





	1. Calling

Kylo Ren dreams.

_Ash swirls around a barren landscape at night.The stars are barely visible through the atmospheric haze, but he senses the pattern would be nonetheless unrecognizable were the sky unobstructed. An unfamiliar planet, then._

_Eyes that are not his scan foreign surroundings.Kylo tries to direct his dream passenger’s gaze but finds himself unable to control the motions, as if he’s watching a holovid. The eyes gaze upward, looking for the source of the falling ash.In the distance, aided with a bit of Force, his passenger discerns barely visible craggy peaks.Volcanic activity: the source, then?With parallel vision, they observe the ash mounts silently pumping grey upwards, and down across the land, blanketing the atmosphere at a languid pace.The observation generates no alarm in his passenger.It feels curiously controlled; not a violent eruption._

_In the distance, the eyes of his passenger observe muted lights from what appears to be a settlement.A city?_

_The eyes look move downward and continue to scan the landscape.A strange mist eddies and flows, blurring out the lights from the distant city.The pattern of the mists feels curiously... intentional.Embued with something of the Force.Kylo observes the passenger’s arm sweep forward to explore it, and the mists respond, curling around the arm like an acknowledgement of the passenger’s intention._

_Something in the Force feels strange here, on this planet.Incredibly intense power, like a vergence, but unlike any he’s felt before on any other planet. Intense, yet warped. He feels it in the mists; a concentration in the city.The thought occurs to him: it’s what drew the passenger here.A nagging sense that kept pulling the passenger through uncharted parts of space, weaving a path purposively through unknown regions, ignoring the risks._

_The eyes turn back to observe the broken wreckage of a familiar ship (a memory from a life no longer Kylo’s, but all too familiar to him nonetheless). A flash of frustration seeps through — the passenger’s. Kylo intuits the ship is not functional, the landing must have been rough, the ascent to the planet treacherous.He glimpses a thought (a memory?) of navigating through an asteroid field, a drop from an unexpected wormhole._

_The thought seizes Kylo and the passenger at the same time.Without a working ship, there is no obvious way to go back._

_Only forward._

_A hand clasps something cool, metal, cylindrical.Familiar.A lightsaber. The passenger reaches out with the Force, fanning out for signs of danger.A pause, then satisfied, hitches the weapon to a belt circling a narrow waist._

_Hands move to delicately bind wrappings around a face (_ to protect against the ash, Kylo senses _), capping the movement with the settling of the hood of a cloak. A canvas pack is checked and re-checked, and found loaded with water, ration bars, a flashlight, and other sundries — chosen by hands experienced at survival. A thread of determination forces down the wave of other emerging feelings; behind it, a strong will and practical mind Kylo knows intimately._

_The Force continues to pulse with a strange, sickly vibration.Movement carries the passenger forward into the mist, eyes grimly toward the city ahead._

Kylo Ren jerks upwards in a silent, fluid movement.

 _Rey_.He breathes wordlessly. 

A tug from the Force, the same strange feeling felt from the planet in the dream.Carried over into the waking world.

Directly, he moves from the bed into the refresher to bathe and ready himself.He dresses with a practiced efficiency, mind empty, not pausing for reflection the way he might on a different day.

Hitting the comlink on the wall in the exit near his quarters, he barks a single order:“Ready my ship.”

He doesn’t wait for a reply.He lowers his helmet and hears it lock into place with a satisfying click before he steps into the hallway, his stride betraying a furious purpose.

———

“You can’t leave.Supreme Leader, we are on the verge of—“

“Enough, Hux.”A gloved hand waves dismissively. His lip curls into a sneer under his helmet.The strange Force call carried from the dream ebbs in the back of his brain, a yawning ache, like the promise of a headache forming. Hux’s shrill voice does nothing to curb the discomfort. 

“Is my _Silencer_ ready?” Kylo tilts his head toward the face of a nervous flight technician in the hangar bay, practically trembling under his gaze.The tech’s face goes pale as struggles to voice his reply but jerks his head up and down quickly in the affirmative. “Sir.”

Hux is relentless.“Supreme Leader, you can’t just go off alone on a whim into the Unknown Regions without telling us _where_ and how long—“

Ren cuts him off.“I’ve made arrangements with Eoin Ren and my knights.They will—“ (he thinks with some amusement, _serve as your babysitter_ )” — act as my arm while I am away.”His voice comes out evenly modulated; tedious with the effort. 

He looks directly at Hux. “Don’t worry General. I assure you, my _will_ shall be carried out, despite my physical absence from the _Finalizer_.”He articulates the threat slowly, and clearly.

Kylo does not know why he feels the need to explain it, especially to someone as tedious as Hux, but continues,“This is a matter of the Force. I’ve felt a disturbance. It must be investigated.”

He can see Hux’s eyes narrow and his brain scheme furiously as he processes the statement.Fortunately, for Hux, he chooses his reply carefully.“Very well.We’ve checked the pulsar tracker on ship and have fitted the extended deepspace comlink. Should you need support—” 

Kylo cuts off Hux again.Does the man ever know when to shut up?“Understood.”He observes the bustling of the flight crew impatiently, willing to be off the _Finalizer_ and away from Hux’s endless droning as soon as possible.

The Force continues to pulse in the back of his head, urging movement.The hangar continues to buzz with preparations, the sound of leather creaking almost imperceptible over the din in the background.At his sides, Kylo’s gloved hands curl into fists.

———

The _Silencer_ was engineered as an instrument of war, not a comfort vessel for long space transport.Still, Kylo is grateful he insisted on the modifications to the cabin to make it suitable for extended trips — usually at the whim of his former Master in the days he acted as his enforcer throughout the galaxy. 

Stepping out of the fresher, he pauses to take status of his current situation.It’s been weeks since he left known space hyperlanes, truly in the thick of the Unknown Regions of space. The strange Force call continues to beacon, stronger than ever, indicating he is heading in the right direction... wherever that may be. He finds the constant presence in the back of his mind simultaneously uncomfortable and reassuring.

He wonders briefly, could this simply be a ploy from the Resistance, to separate him from the First Order?The scavenger was strong and could potentially have found some way to create an illusion, a way to distract him. But Kylo Ren tosses this aside, even if Rey were that strong or had discovered such a technique, he felt intuitively she was not capable of that kind of deceit.It was part of what drew him to her.She was unfailingly earnest, open, guileless.Light.

The bond has not connected them in months. At first he assumed she was simply blocking the connection somehow, although he himself had not discovered a technique to effectively do so reliably.At the thought, part of him had raged that she had (once _again_ ) one upped him despite his years of training and experience in the Force.

Another part of him raged (a part of him he will barely acknowledge) at the thought that she would _want_ to so completely abandon the connection they had formed.Certainly, the encounter on the Supremacy, and the subsequent battle on Crait did not... end favorably for either party.She had called him directly a _monster_.. more than once.And yet...

He thinks too frequently of that memory of two fingertips touching in that stone hovel, that brief shock of feeling and vision that overwhelmed them both. 

( _Join me..._

 _please_ )

He tells himself that this trip, this pursuit of this unknown planet is about the will of the Force, about following that draw of power he can’t ignore.That Rey was the catalyst for this is merely.. ancillary.He tells himself that if he needs to find her, it’s to bring this... whatever it is... to its ultimate conclusion.He does not think too deeply on what that could be.

———

Kylo navigates by mediating on the Force.It is wildly dangerous, entering and exiting hyperspace at the whim of that pulsing call in his mind, in a part of space uncharted, lacking known safe hyperspace lanes.But Kylo has spent his entire life trusting the Force and its destiny for him, why would he question it now?In fact, to do so would cause a chain reaction of other questions, and that is a train of thought that Kylo unconsciously knew would be problematic for him to pursue. 

Amused, he thinks of the pulsar tracker and the comlink fitted to his ship, certainly useless to the First Order (and to himself should he wish for reinforcements). 

He finds the thought of being lost in the galaxy, abandoning the First Order and the Resistance to their endless war, strangely unperturbing. 

An abrupt tingling in the edge of his mind disturbs his meditation, and he disengages from hyperspace as an almost unconscious reaction. 

Blinking, he finds himself directly on course to collide with a cluster of thorny asteroids at an alarming pace.Worse, it appears those asteroids are surrounded by a thick field of asteroids that extend far beyond his field of vision, its seemingly endless breadth and depth confirmed by the sensors blinking wildly on his control panel. 

Still at the fringes of a meditative state, Kylo forces down the emerging panic to reconnect with the Force.He feels his hands move on the controls, seemingly synchronized with his heart beat, and empties his mind.

An unwanted memory flashes from another lifetime.Another asteroid field, a pursuit.A hoot and a holler from a voice that pains him to think of, tinging the corner of his vision with red.

_“Kid, you’re a natural, well of course you are — it’s in your blood!”_

A man’s beaming smile that threatens to crack the whole world, to drag Kylo into insanity. 

_“That’s my boy.Don’t tell your mother.”_

He pushes the unwanted thoughts down, down, down.He fills the space with an arrogant heat, the dark that soothes him, his imperious sense of destiny. _I will not die here._

With a flick of the controls, he dodges the immediate threat with series of weaves and zig zags, craggly space debris blurring what feels like directly past his ear, and moves on to the next challenge. 

For what seems like hours, he feels a path laid out for him and follows it, though perhaps only minutes pass.He’s no newcomer at piloting with the aid of the Force, but he’s never felt such crisp direction, such focus.His hands feels like they are connected directly with the Force, circumventing his conscious mind. He feels like more passenger, than pilot. 

Suddenly his ship escapes the asteroid field, shocked into the blackness of calm space. In the distance, a sun that casts a pale, clear light through the film of his cockpit. Despite knowing the ship will filter any light to a safe visible frequency for human eyesight, he instinctively squints.

He sees a planet ahead, a mostly brown thing, mottled with grey wounds that glitter and swirl like bruises, reflecting the punishing sun. The Force pulses once, strongly, in the back of his brain, and he knows he’s arrived.

He reaches out with the Force, scanning broadly, observing the concentrated source of the warped power, and the strange Force signatures of the inhabitants.His ships sensors could find no ships in the atmosphere, or apparently any space activity around the planet’s orbit.Interesting, if not altogether surprising. It is very possible that this planet had evolved without developing space flight or any encounter from a known developed system, even in the farthest reaching days of the Empire and Old Republic. 

The sensors detect a climate and atmosphere suitable to support human life after a fashion, if the sensors did correlate with the observations of an atmosphere polluted with ash from his dream. 

He observes the ash mounts.Thinking at first, how incredibly large they are, that they are visible from orbital space. Something about them... disturbs him, although he can’t quite put a finger on it. 

The planet is largely land dominated, with few true ‘oceans’, although the landmass is broken with natural water features, lakes, rivers — along with canals clearly engineered with intelligent purpose.There are hundreds of sizeable settlements as largely populated as some of the cities in the Core, although more primitive according to his sensor readings.He sets a course to land near the source of the perceived vergence despite, near the city he is certain that Rey observed in his dream. He finds a location that is close enough for reasonable land travel but seemingly uninhabited according to the lack of Force signatures nearby and confirmation from his ship’s scanners. Knowing so little about the planet, its inhabitants, and what threats he might encounter, he thought it prudent to be able to maintain some level of stealth in his infiltration. 

Satisfied, one corner of his lips twitches upward softly, the closest Supreme Leader Kylo Ren comes to a smile these days.Somewhere on that planet, through the strange ebb of the Force, he feels the faint, but familiar signature of Rey.


	2. Arrival

_One month earlier_

Rey makes time quickly, leaving the Falcon behind her at a steady pace.The terrain, after all, is easy compared to dunes of Jakku. No blasted sand pulling at her heels.But nearly just as barren, she thinks a bit morosely. The vegetation she encounters is stunted; the trees clustered in patches as if hoping to cling to each other to better survive against the ash.The leaves, all brown. At midday, the red disc sun beats down with shocking intensity despite the ash-laden atmosphere. 

This is not an easy planet for life to thrive.

But Rey’s seen worse.And she’s survived it.

_On the bright side, there’s no banthas, sithspawn or other monsters or attacking you. Yet. You’re just alone._

_(A memory of a whispered sentence. “You’re so lonely...”_

_She pushes the thought away.)_

Rey approaches the city cautiously, at first under the cover of night, but sensing no threats, soon feels confident moving in daytime.She passes other settlements, villages and towns, but keeps a safe distance. She makes sure to steer clear of anything that looks like a road.

As she closes in on the city, she slows her approach.She encounters a cluster of buildings, abandoned. The structures are not... dissimilar to the stone huts of Ach-to.It might have been a village at some point but was now little more than a pile of rubble.Without the benefit of any caretakers to maintain them, they were lost to age.Unpacking a small blanket, she finds anook hidden amongst pile of collapsed rocks.She tucks herself in so she’s not immediately visible to anyone that might approach. Satisfied, she lays back, and chews on a ration bar thoughtfully.After some time, she closes her eyes, and allows the world to go black.

———

In the morning she wakes early, the mists dissolving with the morning light.Thankful for the binoculars that she had snagged from the ship, she decides to observe the city from the safe distance of her shelter.Through the view, she spies humanoid figures gathering outside what appeared to be the main gate to the city.Travelers, waiting to enter, she concludes.Panning to the north she spots a river that appears to weave into settlement, intersecting with canals that sprawl in various directions.Long, bowed boats regularly flow along its path in and out, likely carrying goods and more people. 

Through the binoculars, she examines the features of the city more closely.What appeared to be a single sprawling mass from a distance becomes separate stone edifices, all various shades of darkening grey. _Ash stained_ , she presumes. _Is everything on this blasted planet some shade of black, brown, and grey?_ Looming above the rest of the buildings, an enormous... castle? fortress?Spires emerge from the structure, seemingly by the hundreds, casting angles that move with the direction of the sun.Intuitively, she senses this is the source of the warped Force vergence that calls to her. 

She continues her watch as the sun dips down past the horizon.At night, the exterior guard disappears, retreating inside the gate as mists emerge.Guards pass the tops of the walls on a regular schedule, but infrequently. Once or twice, she could have sworn she saw movement at the top of the spires of some of the interior buildings, figures that seemed to leap from roof to roof. _Force users?_ She wonders. From this distance, it’s difficult to tell, with the strange Force energy enveloping the whole city.

She meditates.Half hoping, half dreading the bond will open again.

On the second day, she gathers her cloak and approaches the line of travelers seeking entry. The ash is falling, but lightly. Closer, she observes there are actually two lines, one much shorter.In the shorter line, small transports shelter the passengers inside.They are pulled by four legged creatures, they look docile and unintelligent to Rey.Most of these vehicles have an escort: well dressed, humanoid figures, on guard or driving the transport. However, she can’t get a good luck at their faces, as many are hooded or otherwise covered to protect against the falling ash.She reaches out a bit with the Force, and finds their Force signatures present but strange and a bit... jumbly.Startled, she quickly pulls back before she can touch on any mind.But then, a bit of luck: one of the drivers turns toward her,flashing an unprotected face.Human, then.

The second line is much longer, and slower moving. Those waiting are mostly on foot, some pulling carts loaded with goods.The people are also hooded and dressed in a variety of materials, but of lesser quality than those she observed in the first line, and shabbier and mottled with ash, as if they did not see the same regular cleanings.Rey observes their slumped shoulders.She doesn’t need to call on the Force to feel the faint sense of despair.

She approaches the second line at an angle, saying nothing.Dropping her shoulders, she makes herself small as she meanders slowly away from the gate, as if to make way to the end of the line.She has real no intention of using this method to gain entry; instead, uses this opportunity to eavesdrop. 

...“I’ve heard Prelan Dathsmor is rounding up more and more half breed Skaa Mistings—”

...“That’s none of our concern.Stay close and mind your business. Keep the cargo covered, the ash is falling today.”A gruff scoff.

Relief.Rey’s second stroke of luck is that the inhabitants of, well, where ever she was, spoke Basic.It is an archaic version, a cross between her adopted “upper class” Coruscanti affect and a dialect used by certain sect of migrants at Jakku, the Aemish.The Aemish were an insular sect that maintained a secretive lifestyle with strange customs, rumored unchanged for thousands of years. Was this their original home?Rey mentally tucks this away accordingly.

In her mind, she starts to forming a back story for her presence in case she is confronted.A mind trick may work as well here, but a warning prickles in the back of her mind.Her previous attempt at using the Force, that jumbly sensation she experienced, still rang through her head uncomfortably and makes her wary.So she decides to avoid it if at all possible, for now.

But she doesn’t need to worry, no one pays her any attention.She blends well enough in as another traveller.Making her way to the end, she turns, falling behind a group heading away from the city as if that was her intention all along.She slows, widening the distance between the people ahead of her, falling further back until she finds it safe to turn back toward her shelter. 

She’s learned very little from her bits of eavesdropping beyond the language; she lacked context to glean anything meaningful. _Prelan? Skaa? Mistings?_

But she decides she’s not going to learn much more waiting out here. On the third night, she takes her opportunity to breach the city. 

The city walls, though high and thick, are made of rough hewn stone.Rey, with the aid of the Force and her background scrambling across broken wreckage of Star Destroyers, had no trouble making it to the top.Above, she finds a series of walkways, wide enough for a human to pass through comfortably, but also empty.Glancing in both directions to ensure no guard is present, she climbs over the parapet and lands on the wall. The wall path is flanked by a series of doors and towers.She presumes inside the towers are stairs that descend to the city streets.Rey briefly considers entering, but quickly throws that idea away.What if there was a guard inside?Better not to risk confrontation, especially if there were other Force users about, until she understood a bit more with what she was dealing with. 

Peering down the wall to ensure the street was clear, she descends.She lands softly inside the city, stirring only a little of the ash that has settled. 

Within the city walls, Rey observes more signs of life.Pale light filters through the windows of some homes, and Rey senses the Force signatures of the habitants inside.There is even some activity on the streets, transports that moved with purpose, quickly parting the mists in a hurry to get to their destinations.A few passers by move on foot with the same hurry, guards wrapped in cloaks.Rey sinks into the mists and shadows, and they pay her no notice.

She continues to take advantage of the mists as her cover, as they have only grown thicker as the night passes.Gradually, she grows more relaxed in her explorations.She gently reaches out with a bit of the Force, fanning for any presence ahead.

Whether by accident or the draw of the Force power, she finds herself heading toward the fortress at the heart of the city.Here, the streets change, becoming wider, and the buildings more expansive and opulent.Broad walled estates emerge, several stories high, enclosing their own patches of land.Clearly she had entered a more affluent part of the city. Likely its owners wanting to be closer to the seat of power.Looking closer, she finds the ash on these buildings less pronounced, revealing something closer to the truer color of the original stones, as if a regular effort was made to clean the ash stain from the surfaces. 

She stops at one of the more elaborate houses, leaning flush against the wall fencing it in.Closing her eyes to concentrate, she extends the reach of her Force probe, trying to get a sense of the activity within.A brief hesitation, then Rey risks a touch on the mind of one of its inhabitants.

_(Dejection, hopelessness, dragging, bone tired.Ash stained hands. Scrubbing and sweeping.A flash of an opulent drape.A tray quickly left at a table, a tiny splash of brown liquid spilling from a fine cup. Richly dressed men and women pooled around furnishings the color of burnt leather, barely acknowledging your existence.A thread of fear that that they might; that they turn their steely gaze on you.A memory of a slap and the sting of a drop to the floor.Pleasepleaseno)_

Rey’s eyes pop open, mouth twisting in distaste.

_Does nothing change, no matter what planet you end up on in the galaxy?_

There’s those that wield the power and wealth, and then there’s the backs upon which that power is built.

She thinks of Unkar Plutt’s slimy voice, eking out,“One _half_ portion.”Her hand trembles.She resists the urge to put her fist through the wall. 

Rey retracts quickly, eager to get away from the estate.

And promptly stops.

At the far end of the block, perched high on the slanted roof of a building, she spots a motionless figure.A tall man, slender, swathed in black. The mists lap his ankles. 

He is looking directly at her. 

_Ben?_ Her heart leaps in spite of herself.Has the bond reconnected them after all this time?

She reaches out with the Force and senses... nothing. 

He leaps down toward her in three fluid movements, landing on the street.

As he approaches, more details come into view. The cape he wears flutters, a series of strips that move like ribbons among the mist as he moves.A street light hits his face and she sees a flash of his face under the hood.It’s soft, attractive and unblemished.He’s young - late 20’s she’d guess. A short, neatly kempt beard, almost translucent in color.Eyes that are pools of green light, aimed squarely at her with curiosity.

Not Kylo Ren, then. 

He continues to move toward her with intention.

“You...” He speaks at a conversational volume, as if they were meeting at a table in a Canto Bright casino.His words were clearly articulated, his accent cultured.“Who are you? What are you doing?”

_Shit._

She spins on her heel and runs.

———

Rey gathers the Force around her and unconsciously draws the mist as well.It creates a protective barrier that clings to her as she flees.Turning a corner, she ducks into an alley,praying that the end is not blocked.After a few crooked turns she finds herself back onto another a main road, this one closer to the spired fortress. She follows it to the end, and at the junction makes a right, then a left. She threads the alleys and side streets until the streets become wide, and quieter.The buildings here are wide, blocky practical structures that appear more functional in nature than residential. There’s a scent of oil and machinery. She sees an opening barred by a wide metal gate, at least 2 meters high. A chain lock prevents her from pushing through, so she uses the Force to leap up and over the fence and finds herself in a stone-lined courtyard. 

She hears no footsteps follow.Hoping she’s lost her potential tail, she stops to take a breath and examine her surroundings.There are maybe twenty or thirty separate structures.It definition looks like some kind of industrial facility.Large transport carts, empty, gather a bit of ash, are lined up near one of the buildings closer to the street.Boxes are piled up, along with a stash of metal tools. 

“You.” 

_Oh for Kriff’s sake..._

She turns around. 

It’s the stranger from the estate.He’d followed her, then.

He peers down at her from the roof of the building to her right, once again perched curiously.He makes a gesture toward the ground (dropping something? A coin?), and uses the Force to drop down to street level. The movement is practiced and graceful.

She stands there, unmoving.She really did not want to have a confrontation with an unknown Force user. She reaches out with the Force and still finds nothing.It’s almost like he’s not there, like he’s invisible to the Force. _How is he masking his presence?_

He speaks first.“I felt you use Allomancy.”Again that conversational tone.And another unfamiliar word, she huffs.Still, she makes no reaction.

He takes a step closer.

“Who are you?Show me your face.”Rey remains silent.

Under her cloak, Rey tightens her hand around her lightsaber.She scans for an escape route with the corner of her vision, alarm growing as she’s pretty sure she’s fenced in.

“You’re hiding something. What are you doing at my refinery? Take off your face covering.”

She feels the familiar tug of someone attempting to use the Force on her.It feels strange some how, a reflection of the strangeness she feels in the Force across this planet.She gathers the Force, and resists. 

“You’ll turn around, return home, and forget you saw me,” she ventures, gathering the Force with as much strength as she can muster.The mists swirl tighter around her.Or is she imagining that?

The man blinks twice, moves to turn, then stops himself.He smirks.“Nice attempt. Your Soothing is masterful.I’ve never felt such a strong compulsion, certainly not when burning copper.”He takes another step.“Who are you, girl?” 

“I’m no one.”She replies woodenly.Words she’s used before, in a different context, many parsecs away.

“You’re an Allomancer.A Mistborn, by the looks of it, and strong.Which House are you with?You’ve seen my face...”he flinches.“You know my secret.”

“I assure you, I do not have any interest in you, or your secrets,” she snaps back.His secret?She wonders.She can only assume it’s his use of the Force.

“I’m afraid I don’t believe you.”He smirks, exuding confidence.“Are you with Vaxus? Your allegiance is commendable, but if he sent you here to sabotage or spy, I’m afraid I can’t allow that to happen.”A pause.“You’re sloppy though, not burning copper.Are you even trained?You need a better teacher.”He moves one step closer.

Rey bristles.Would people _STOP_ telling her that? 

She takes a breath, then replies, “I’m only a traveler.I mean you no harm. I’m just... lost.You startled me, and I ran.”She chose each word carefully, imbuing them with truth.

“That.... what is that?”He looks down at the lightsaber, now unclipped from her belt, unlit but held ready in her palm. 

Before she can react, he pulls the lightsaber to him with his strange mastery of the Force.She lets out a short cry of frustration.He examines it briefly, finding the switch.His eyes go wide in a gaze of wonder, fixed at the glowing blade that emerges from the hilt. 

Rey uses the moment to her advantage.She Force pulls a wooden crate from a stack behind him, accelerating it at high velocity.It strikes him in the back of his head with a loud crack.He wobbles, then keels back, lightsaber flying and shutting off before it skids to a stop a meter away from where Rey stands.

Rey swears under her breath, call the lightsaber back to her with the Force.She pauses to examine the stranger, splayed on the ground.He’s breathing but unconscious, eyes closed, expression peaceful.His hood falls backward with gravity, exposing his neatly shorn hair.At first she thinks it’s white, a contrast with his youthful face, but at closer inspection, sees that it’s simply a very pale blonde. 

What’s more interesting is she now senses his presence in the Force.Whatever technique he was using to block seemed to stop when he went unconscious.Again, she feels the strange echo of the mysterious Force signature of the planet flowing through him.She does not feel anything particularly dark in his aura — he’s definitely not a Sith — and she’s glad she was not forced to seriously injure him. 

_Well, that’s enough excitement for one night._ Rey jumps the gate once more, and heads out to find shelter for the evening and plan her next move.

———

“You’ll give me a room for the evening.A meal, whatever you have is fine.And I’ll have a glass of...” she looks sideways at a half-drank glass of brown liquid sitting on the bar — “that.” 

“Oh, and you won’t charge me for me either.”She puts a little bit of Force in the words, and the innkeeper’s eyes glaze over. Again, that unfamiliar taint in the Force.Not dark, just... different. She’s becoming accustomed to it.

“I’ll give you a room for the evening, a meal, a glass of ale, and I won’t charge you for it.”He echos.

“You’ll tell me the name of the planet I’m on, and the name of this city.”

“I’ll tell you the name of the planet...” he starts.

“Say it!”Rey huffs impatiently.

“You’re on the planet Scadrial, and the name of this city is Luthadel.”

As it turns out, learning the name of the planet you are on is a lot harder than you’d think without risking sounding like a crazy person.Without the Force, and the judicious use of a mind trick, Rey thinks, she would have a lot harder of a time learning anything as matter of fact. 

Still, she had to be careful.The common room of the inn was empty this time of night, but she doesn’t want to risk another confrontation like the one with the roof stranger.Although to be truthful, she recalls, the stranger was nothing but polite.Civilized, even.

Kylo?He would have swung his laser sword and asked questions later. 

“Tell me. Do you have a space port on this planet?I need to find a hangar with supplies so I can repair my ship.The compressor is shot and there’s no way I’ll get it off the ground, nevermind...”

“A space port?”The poor man looks at her like she had a Hutt tentacle growing out of her head. 

Rey sighs.“Nevermind.You’ll forget what I just asked you.And when I leave tomorrow, you’ll forget I have ever been here.”

——-

In the morning, Rey sneaks down the stairs as quietly as she can muster.She slept comfortably, not realizing how much she needed a bed, a hot meal, and to finally feel clean of the ash that clung to her for days.The fresher here was antiquated compared to her recent experiences on ships, plumbed from metal pipes and levers that took her a minute to figure out how to operate, but the tub was large and the amount of water luxurious compared to her days on Jakku.Hoping to make her escape before the innkeeper returned, and she finds herself a few steps away from the door when she hears a voice behind her.

“Hey!”

 _Bantha shit._ Rey sighs. _Can nothing ever be easy?_

She turns around, gathering the Force and preparing to do another mind trick on the poor man. 

“I asked Marta to send me a girl weeks ago.I’ve been forced to man the bar and the kitchen on my own, my cook vanished two days, and this place is a mess.The ash is everywhere, those drunkards don’t bother even to pretend to dust it off before stumbling in and sitting at my tables.It’s just impossible.What took you so long?”

Rey blinks. 

He looks at her impatiently.“You’re the girl Marta sent from the orphanage right?Marta said you were quiet, but for the love of the Lord Ruler don’t just stand there — please use your words.Tell me, can you cook, at all?I expect not, with your background.Well then, we can have you start with the dishes, I can show you how we make the stew for the dinner service later.”

Rey opens her mouth, then closes it. 

“What’s your name girl?Can you start with that?”

“It’s.. Rey.”She says. 

“You can call me Samsin.Don’t bother with the sirs and all that.I know you’re an orphan, and I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I’ve seen plenty how rough you all live out on the plantations and.. it’s not right.”He speaks brusquely but with a touch of kindness in his eyes.

“Well, you’ll have a warm room, a bed, and a meal regular from now on.But here, let’s get started.I’ll show you your room, you can change. Aile’s old clothes should fit you, you’re about the same size.Skinny as a board you plantation skaa all come, don’t you.”

Rey makes a split decision to roll with it.“All right,” she says. 

“Well, follow me.”He leads her to a back door behind the bar, down a narrow hallway and past several doors, finally stopping at one at the end of the hall on the right.

“Here it is. You can put your things here, choose something practical out of the dresser for later.We’ve got to get this place cleaned up! But for now, you can rest from your journey, and we can start this afternoon.The bath is across the way, should you need it.”

Rey nods. 

Samsin closes the door behind him.She looks at her newly assigned room — small, but with a cheerful view of the street.The bed is modest but looks comfortable.She pulls her lightsaber from the belt under her cloak, placing it under a loose bit of floor board she manages to pry off to create a hiding space.She stashes her bag in the dresser, then examines the clothes inside. 

She finds some modest, but well made and practical dresses.However, she passes on those in favors of grey leggings and a thigh length, long-sleeved tunic not dissimilar to the style she favored on Jakku.She changes into her selection, keeping her belt.She hangs her cloak on a hook near the door, then takes her old robes and arm wraps, folding them carefully inside the dresser.

_What in the Force has she gotten herself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa thanks for all the comments! I didn’t expect so many so soon! I hope I can do justice


	3. Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey can't just keep her head down and out of trouble

Lady Ella Aramete finds her brother flirting with a skaa serving maid in the breakfast room of Keep Aramete. The girl giggles softly, then goes rigid.Gerald looks up to his sister and flashes a smile as the girl flees. 

When the room is empty, the Lady speaks.“You’re enjoying your breakfast, I see.”It comes off severely. “If you’d only take the family concerns as seriously as you do your _hobbies_.” A pause. “Were you able to steal the manifest last night?”

“Well, darling sister.I was a bit distracted. I encountered another Mistborn spying in front of the estate.I followed her to our refinery.”He is infuriatingly casual about his failures, Ella thinks. 

“And?Who was she?What was she doing?” 

“I suspect she is working for Vaxus.”He takes a bite of a sausage, relishing it as he chews.“She knocked me out when I was… distracted.”He doesn’t mentions the incredible weapon the girl possessed, or her strange command of Allomancy. Some matters were private amongst Mistborn, after all.“When I came to, she was gone.”

Lady Aramete sighs.As usual, it was up to her to keep the family business in order. If Gerald spent as much energy securing their House’s future as he did on his swordplay, training, and gambling, they would be the most powerful House in the Final Empire — not Beleton Vaxus and his fat son.

“The Vaxus are becoming more bold, brother.With the Lord Ruler’s favor, and the Obligators under their thumb, they think they cannot be challenged.We are the only House that poses a threat.It’s only a matter of time before they make their move.” 

Gerald scoffs.“There are other ways to resolve this.We represent the two most powerful Great Houses in Luthadel.We could put a proposal to Lord Beleton.If you were to marry his son…”

“Brode, that pig?” Her voice, normally even with practiced control, goes an octave higher.“I’d see our Keep and all our holdings burn before that happens.”

“Come now, he’d be easy to manipulate — especially for you.” Gerald brushes her off.“Plus, if the rumors are true, he’d never touch you.They say his tendencies lie… elsewhere.”He smirks lightly.“Anyway, I’m surprised to see such a reaction, you are usually the practical one in the family.”He takes another bite of sausage.

The Lady sits down at the table, smoothing her skirts.“Fortunately, _dear brother,_ some of my other threads have yielded fruit.” _I know better than to count on just you_. _Fate had played a cruel joke,_ she thinks, _making that useless fool the Mistborn in the family._

“I have learned the schedule and route of the Atium transports.”, she continues.“They are transported by land with an escort of Vaxus Mistings before they are loaded at a canal junction near Fellise.The next one is less than a month away.”

He raises an eyebrow. 

“We are going to disrupt the next shipment.” She declares.

“What are you proposing? We _steal_ the Lord Rulers atium? You’re mad, Ella.”

She laughs. “We will not be _stealing_ anything, dear brother.I propose we simply intercept the exchange at its rendezvous point. From there, we will plant the atium at the Vaxus plantation — which happens to be conveniently close by.”

“So you see _, it is Vaxus_ who will steal the Lord Ruler’s atium.It is almost certain that when it goes missing, the Ministry will send a contingent to investigate, likely with a Steel Inquisitor.The Lord Ruler does not like to lose track of his atium shipments.” 

“…And when the atium is discovered at the Vaxus plantation… their House will fall out of favor…”Gerald finishes.

“Yes, dear brother.To say the least.You will lead the assault.If Vaxus truly has a Mistborn in his employ, we will need to ensure this goes according to plan.Select our most trusted Mistings to support you. My contact will provide the details.” 

———

It turns out behind his rough exterior, Samsin is a kindly man.He’s patient with Rey as she blunders through her unfamiliar situation (of course not realizing _why_ she’s so hopeless), and seems to genuinely care for her well being.Rey’s never been so well fed — her years on Jakku and the Resistance making a regular meal hard to come by. 

The inn gets its share of visitors, the occasional traveler looking for a bed, but frequented more regularly by locals as their watering hole.During the day, she shadows Samsin, learning the workings of the inn and helping him with the endless chores.Samsin’s content to do most of the talking, and when Rey replies strangely or not at all he seems to brush it off as some kind of trauma from her assumed identity. _Or he thinks I’m just slightly dull_ , she smiles to herself.At night, Rey sneaks out of her bedroom window and explores, trying to find any kind of technology that might help her repair the Falcon, or otherwise help her currently situation.Thankfully, she does not encounter the white-haired Force user she met on her first night.

Weeks pass.Rey learns more about society through careful eavesdropping.From what she can tell, there is a dual class system on this planet.The serfs are called skaa, and they are largely property — slaves more than servants.The nobles are the privileged class, granted favor by a godlike persona only referred to as the Lord Ruler.The Force powers she had heard referred to as ‘Allomancy’ being one of those privileges, though even that appears to be a thing of mystery to most of the population.

The Lord Ruler, though rarely seen, rules Scandrial with an iron fist.The conversations she overhears allude to his mysterious powers. 

_“Don’t say that! The Lord Ruler can hear your thoughts”…“You know the Lord Ruler has lived for a thousand years, he can’t be killed…”_ etc etc. Always in hushed, fearful voices.

Another Supreme Leader, then.Great. _If even half of what they say about him is true, he must be a powerful dark side user_. 

She carefully avoids Kredik Shaw, his spired fortress at the center of the city.

Samsin is technically a noble, although one of extremely reduced circumstances as a result of something that happened in his past.She does not press him for details.She could use the Force, but she already feels guilty after his many kindnesses and resolves to resort to a mind trick on him only when absolutely necessary. 

_Poe, Finn, and the General must be so worried about her_ , she thinks sadly. _They probably think I was taken by the First Order when we were separated._ Her only consolation is that she was able to successfully distract the force pursuing them at Hoth, leaving a window for the Resistance to escape. 

It’s the afternoon, before the evening rush, and the inn is empty.She is slicing root vegetables for the stew when she hears Samsin talking in the main room in a hushed voice.A set of unfamiliar voices accompany his.

“Here, let’s use my office,” Samsin offers.Their footsteps move toward the hallway that leads to her bedroom, but stop before reaching the end of the hall.She hears a door swing as the Samsin and his visitors enter the room.The door shuts, and the sounds disappear.

Curious, she finishes chopping and starts the water to boil.After some time, she hears the door open again, voices re-emerging.Rey steps through the alcove that connects the kitchen to the main room and makes a show of wiping down the tables as they enter. 

“And who’s this?”A friendly, bemused voice. “Aile no longer with you, Sam?”

“Ah, Kelsier.Aile is with her family in the Eastern regions.Aile's been sick, the cough has gotten so bad. I couldn’t keep her on with good conscience. This is Rey, my new servant. Marta sent her.Anyway, she doesn’t say much, poor thing.She’s still thin as a rail, but we’re working on that.” 

Rey looks up and sees two strangers with Samsin, their postures relaxed and familiar.Both are well dressed in the manner of nobles. The man called Kelsier smiles at her, and she observes his blond hair and height along with his angular, hawk-like face.There is softness in his look, and she smiles back before returning to her tables.

The one who hasn’t spoken yet turns to Kelsier.He’s a bit portly, the better dressed of the two, with immaculately coifed hair and a brimmed hat. He quips teasingly, “Well, Sam does have a type he likes to collect.He’s apparently made it his mission to adopt every plantation skaa he can afford to, and fatten them up.” 

Without thinking, Rey’s head shoots up and she throws him a pointed glare. _Fat like you kriffing nobles, you mean — something that’s not possible when you lot starve and beat the population._

Immediately, she curses herself for her reaction.She’s done a good job of laying low here — still, it’s hard to reign back her naturally defiant nature.

“Ah, I think your little mouse has something to say about that!”The portly man laughs with a twinkle in his eye.He continues, “Rey, my girl, why don’t you go back to the kitchen. Kelsier, Sam and I need to wrap up a few things.”

Rey feels a pleasant wave wash over her, stifling her annoyance. She freezes.

 _He’s using the Force to try to compel her?_ Startled, she turns back toward the kitchen, thankful they can’t see the surprise on her face.

“Let her alone Breeze, there’s no need to Soothe the girl,”Kelsier’s voice echoes behind her.“Sam, we’ll need that office of yours, and some of your beds upstairs, The rest of my crew will arriving next week…” The voices trail off as Rey walks back into the kitchen.

 _So many Force users on this planet._ Rey wonders.She’s going to have to be more careful from now on.

———

Feeling more confident in Rey’s abilities, Samsin starts to send her out on errands. 

“Girl, I need you to go to the market and get the meat for the stew.Oren will try to swindle you, so make sure you check prices with that crone Ama at the far side of the vegetable stands. There’s some coins on the table.Go, now.”

Rey doesn’t have to be asked twice, grabbing her cloak from her room and running down the hall.She’s pleasantly surprised to see the ash is not falling today, not yet at least.The day is the clearest she’s seen yet, and the red sun beats warmly on the cobblestones.

The market sits in a square at the heart of the city, abuzz with Luthandiels of all varieties. Of course there are the many skaa servants, scurrying to stock the pantries for their Houses.But Rey also spots some middle class nobles walking about, examining works of the artisan craftsmen — rich fabrics or well made items of carpentry.The market appears to be central point of commerce in the city, with everything on sale from game to weapons to delicate charms.

Oren _does_ try to swindle her, quoting over double the market price for the boar Sam uses in his stew.Rey plants her feet and haggles for three minutes before he relents and accepts the fair market price. _He’s no Unkar Plutt_ , she thinks, but the encounter leaves a bad taste in her mouth.She gathers her things and spends a few more minutes idly browsing. 

Despite her annoyance with Oren, Rey finds herself smiling.There is a general positivity and pleasantness in atmosphere, the air is practically buzzing with it. She just feels good, good to be here, and she can see corresponding smiles on the faces around her.

 _You know what?_ _Luthadel is kind of a great city,_ she thinks to herself.

She stops dead still, outrage crawling through her veins as she recognizes what is happening.

_They are using the Force on the market goers?I am being “Soothed?”_

She then steels her mind and _looks._ It’s the same market, the same people, but cracks in the overall tapestry appears. The tired faces of the skaa servants as they rush to complete their errands.The oppressive guards at all the entrances and exits, watching for any deviant behaviors or disruptions.At the corner of the alley, a dirty girl, maybe eight years old, holding a basket of flowers.The bruises on her arms speaking of beatings she gets at home.

Rey’s anger grows and grows. 

_They are using the Force to subdue the population._

Something inside of Rey breaks.Maybe it’s the anxiety over the past weeks, wondering whether or not she’d ever get off this blasted planet and back to her friends.Maybe it’s the broken faces of the skaa she passes throughout the city, forced to endlessly sweep ash off sidewalks so their masters can prance into their palaces with slightly less grey on their boot. 

Whatever it is, Rey lets her anger build.

She gathers the Force inside her, a maelstrom of growing dark and light. She reaches out, touches the minds of the market goers around her — so many, maybe hundreds, all unaware.

Then she finds it.The group of Force users — _or Allomancers, or whatever they call them in this blasted place —_ perched in a buildings overlooking the square, blanketing the minds below with a false sense of calm and contentedness.

Something lap her ankles — mist, in the daytime? — as she builds the power within her.A few people nearby notice, and stop to stare. 

_I’m going to regret doing this_.

The mist is now swirling visibly around her knees.

She concentrates, and _cuts._

She senses a thread of shock from the Force manipulators in the building.Around her, a hush.Hundreds of patrons stop and blink, shaking their heads.

Rey stumbles back a bit, head spinning with the effort she just exerted.A man to her left offers her a hand.The scene goes fuzzy.Rey blinks moisture out of her eyes.

Her vision comes back into view. 

To her immediate right, she sees Kylo Ren.He’s dressed as usual in his Knights of Ren garb, but has a traveling pack with him. He stares at Rey with his mouth slightly agape.

 _The bond, it’s opened, for the first time in months!_ Her heart skips a beat.

“Rey?Where are you?”He demands. _Imperious as usual,_ she scoffs.

Then:“ _What_ did you do?”

“This is... this not a good time, Kylo,” she says as she catches her breath.

From a 10 o’clock angle, she spies a well-dressed man beelining it to her.It takes her a moment to recognize the face.It’s Kelsier, the man from Samisin’s inn the other day.His mouth is twisted with concern.

It’s then she senses something far more disturbing.About 100 meters directly in front of her, a dark energy in the Force.A man ( _or a creature_ ) is parting the crowd with purpose, heading in her direction.He is bald, tattooed around the eye sockets, metal discs shining where eyes should be.She can practically feel his grim intention.

Kelsier’s with her now. “It’s a Steel Inquisitor.You need to _run,_ girl. _”_ he hisses.“I’ll distract him.” He pulls his cowl around his face.

Rey spins back to look at the spot where Kylo appeared, but he’s vanished. 

Rey ducks down an alley as she hears Kelsier cry,“Over here, Steeleyes.”She can sense as much as hear him use the Force ( _Allomancy_ , she corrects herself) to distract the Inquisitor with a barrage of Force thrown metal boxes and cutlery. 

_I’m an idiot_ , Rey thinks as she flees. _Him too? Is EVERYONE a Force user in Luthadel?_

She circles the city in random directions for an hour, stopping occasionally and looking for any sign of those steel eyes. Confident the Inquisitor is not on her tail, she returns back to the inn.

———

Rey, miraculously, is still clutching the parcel of purchases from the market.

Samsin, rather than being angry, frets over Rey. 

“I heard there was an incident at the market today!Inquisitors crawling all over the place, some sort of Allomancy sorcery, they say.I’m so sorry I chose today of all days to send you, Rey.You must have been terrified.Well, you’re safe now, that’s all that counts—“

It’s then the door swings open, and Kelsier walks in.He’s a little greasy with sweat, and his fine noble’s clothes are rumpled. He pulls a chair from a table and sits down, catching his breath, while he unwraps his cowl from his face.

“Kelsier! I didn’t expect you today...”

“—Sam, I need to talk to your girl.”His eyes glitter.“Now.”

Samsin continues his fretting.“Of course, she’s just been through a bit of an experience though...” 

“Let’s go downstairs.” 

Samisin gives Kelsier a vague look, then nods.He walks toward the hall and ushers Rey to follow.Pulling out a key, he unlocks the door to his office. It’s a cozy room, with two armchairs, a safe tucked in the corner, and a broad desk littered with paperwork.Samsin motions for Rey to follow him as he moves behinds the desk, lifting a trap door in the floor.She sees stairs leading downward. Rey and Kelsier descend.

Beneath the inn, Rey enters a large fortified room. There’s chairs, a table, and a board on the wall with some papers tacked up haphazardly. _So this is why I couldn’t hear anything._ Samisin closes the door behind them. 

Kelsier stands splayed, arms crossed, facing Rey.“It’s time for explanations, girl. Who are you, and WHAT in the Pits of Hathsin were you doing in the market today?”

“Kelsier!”Samsin sputters, “I was just telling you, Rey had a scare—“

Kelsier interrupts.“I’ll tell you what’s going on, Sam. Your little skaa mouse,” — pointing vigorously in Rey’s direction, “—is an Allomancer.She managed to disrupt the Soothing station the Lord Ruler set up in that location.I had a nice little chase with a Steel Inquisitor because of the stunt she pulled.”

Rey sighs. _Well, I guess the gig is up._ “I’m not an ‘Allomancer’, I am a _Jedi_.And I’m sorry that you had to cover for me.If I had my —“, a pause, “— weapon, I could have handled him.”She puffs her chest up, crossing her arms to mirror Kelsier’s aggressive posture, and looks him right in eye.Samsin blinks at the change in her bearing.

“Jedi? I’ve never heard of them.But I can recognize Allomancy when I see it.”

“I’m... not from here,”Rey concedes. “From what I can tell, what you call Allomancy is related to my powers.” A pause.“I’m sorry I got you in some trouble, but I’m _not_ sorry that I put an end to that farce in the market square.” 

Kelsier sighs, grabbing a seat.“Girl, what you just did is incredibly dangerous.The Ministry posts a heavy guard at the market, and it’s not unusual for an Inquisitor to be nearby.I don’t even know how you managed to do it.I saw the mist gather around you, in broad daylight.They’ll be questioning any witnesses, and you’ll be damn sure the Ministry will be on the lookout for a skaa Misting that fits your description.It’s fortunate you had your hood up on your cloak, it masked your features from a distance.But I assume you spoke to _someone_ while you were there?”

Rey hesitates.“Oren, the meat vendor.”

“I know Oren, and I know where he lives.It’s likely he fled in the chaos _,_ that old coot has been around the block. He knows better than to stick around to wait for Ministry questioning. But they’ll be back tomorrow, and so will he, he can’t afford to lose a day’s worth of business.If he knows you are with Samsin...” Kelsier looks at the bewildered man, struggling to reconcile everything he’s learning about Rey, “....you’ll put him in danger, along with the rest of us.”

Rey’s stomach drops.“Take me to Oren’s house, I can make sure he says nothing.” 

Kelsier looks at her curiously.“You’re that powerful of a Soother, girl?” 

“I... yes.I can make him forget about our encounter.”

He leans back in his chair thoughtfully.“All right.We can head there tonight.Are you afraid of the mists, Rey?Probably a silly question, seeing what you just pulled.”

Rey shakes her head.“I’ve been out in the city at night.” 

“Of course you have,” Kelsier laughs softly.He reaches into his vest pocket, and pulls out a vial of glittering liquid. “Now, show me again what you can do.Try to Soothe my friend Sam here.” He hands her the vial.

“I don’t need that.”She brushes it away.She looks at Samsin, pitching her voice with the Force. “Samsin, you’ll tell us the combination to the safe in your office, and you’ll forget we asked you about it.”

Samsin’s eyes glaze over.“The combination to the safe in my office is 54-44-31.”He blinks once, and looks at Rey and Kelsier.Kelsier’s gaze is burning a hole into Rey’s.Rey smiles andtaps her foot.

Kelsier raises his voice, turning to Samsin, “Hey Sam, what is that combination to the safe in your office anyway?”

“My safe? We’re friends Kelsier, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with sharing that!Why on earth would you ask?”He looks around suspiciously. “What is going on here?”

Kelsier’s eyes twinkle.“Okay Rey, what else can you do?”

Rey closes her eyes, concentrating on the Force.All of the furniture, including the chair Kelsier is sitting on, begins to float, six inches from the ground. _And now for the greatest Jedi trick,_ she smiles to herself. _Lifting rocks._ She opens her eyes and everything falls back to the ground.Poor Samsin has gone sheet white.

Kelsier stares at her in wonder.“I was certain you were another Mistborn, but you’re something else, aren’t you?” 

Rey smiles back.“I can explain everything, but I have questions you need to answer first.

First off: what in name of the Force is a _Mistborn?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters are just flying! So much action! So many new characters and plot threads!
> 
> Don't worry, we'll get Kylo and Rey together soon.
> 
> If you're digging the vibe here, please check out my other fic "Rey Rising", I started another Reylo story based in Pierce Brown's dystopian Red Rising universe.
> 
> Thanks for comments feedback appreciated <3


	4. Kylo Meets the Locals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo heads to the city, and runs into some trouble. Rey learns a bit more about Allomancy, and teams up with Kelsier on a grand plan.

“And the way you access the Force... I mean, Allomancy, is by swallowing... metal?”

Kelsier smirks.“Well, how do you access it?By closing your eyes and sitting with your legs crossed?”

Rey smiles. “Not quite.Well, not always. I was never very good at meditation anyway.”

They are walking back from visiting Oren, who thankfully, as Kelsier predicted, DID pack up and leave the market as soon as he saw trouble from the Inquisitors.Rey performed a mind trick to make him forget about their encounter, and Kelsier, despite seeing her display with Samsin earlier, was just as awed the second time around. 

They make their way back to Samsin’s inn, using the time to fill in her gaps about Allomancy and the world she was thrust in.Allomancers, as it turn out, appear to have the ability to convert metals to tap into Force in some strange way.Different alloys, such as tin, provide different powers.Most Allomancers are limited, and can only tap into one ability, but Mistborns, like Kelsier, have the ability to “burn” multiple metals and take advantage of speed, strength, enhanced sensory abilities, and more.Kelsier talks freely, holding nothing back despite the fact he barely knows her.Rey finds herself liking the man: he reminds her of Poe — fearless, passionate, and loyal to his friends. 

“And how do you know Samsin?” Rey queries.

“Sam and I go way back, before I was sent to the Pits.”

“The Pits?”

“The Pits of Hathsin.You really aren’t from around here, are you?”He rolls up his sleeves, and Rey inhales when she sees the line of scars crawling up his arms.“The Pits are where the Lord Ruler sends those he punishes, for not falling in line with the rules of his little kingdom.It was at the Pits where I first Snapped — I became aware of my powers as a Mistborn.”

Rey is quiet, thinking.“Why did he punish you?” 

“Well, I tried to steal something from his palace.Despite my roguish charm, you are actually hanging out with a wanted criminal.”His eyes twinkle. “Don’t worry, you’re safe, I tend to stick to robbing only nobles — they are the only ones that have anything worth taking, after all.Breeze, the man you met the other day at Samsin’s, is part of my crew.” 

Rey laughs.“From how I’ve seen the nobles treat the skaa here, they probably deserve it.”

“Samsin was a noble himself. I mean, I’m half-noble, which only makes me double wanted.It’s illegal for the noble to breed with skaa, you know.Any ‘dalliances’ between nobles and skaa result in the skaa being murdered.The Lord Ruler not only sanctions it, he demands it.”Kelsier goes quiet.“Samsin fell in love with a skaa.He never consummated the union, but his family insisted she was ‘removed’ anyway.Sam refused.For that crime, he was disgraced, cast out of his family.That’s how I met him.Through the skaa rebellion.We are small, but scrappy.And eventually we WILL take down the Lord Ruler and this farce of society he keeps under his grip.”

“I understand,” Rey offers.“Where I’m from.. we have a similar situation.Oppressive empire that only cares for amassing power, powerful mystical leader and all that.I’m part of the Resistance, trying to fight them,” she admits. 

“Ah, so you have your own dark Lord Ruler you have to contend with?” Kelsier says. 

Rey thinks of Ben. “Yes, something like that.Although, I sometimes think there’s still some good in him.Maybe. It’s complicated.”

“Well Rey, while you are here, you are more than welcome to risk your life with us.Although, I can understand if you want to stay out of this, this is not your war.Samsin has some friends in the Eastern regions. We can get you out of the city and see if can get you get back to where you came from—”

“I want to help,” Rey interrupts.She doesn’t know why she offers, other than it feels like the right thing to do.

“I was hoping you’d say that.What you did at the market, that takes some serious spunk.The Inquisitors are… very hard to escape, nevermind kill, and fear of them alone along with the rest of the Ministry keeps the population inline.Besides, with that hand-waving, mind-wiping stuff and the way you can float non-metals — you seem like someone useful to have in a fight,” he adds, smiling.

“That’s nothing. Wait til you see me with my lightsaber,” Rey grins. 

“Your whatsaber?” 

“I’ll show you when we get back to the inn.So, how do we do this? How do we defeat the Lord Ruler, free the people, save the girl and all that?”

“I have a plan,” Kelsier says slyly.“That said, part of the plan relies on us infiltrating the nobility, which has been a challenge so far as all of our faces are known.Me, Samsin, my crew, we can’t get close to them, or the Lord Ruler.You however,” he looks at her appraisingly.“You, I think, we can work with.”

“What are you saying?”

“You’re going to become Lady Rey.”

———

Kylo leaves his _Silencer_ tucked in a valley a few days’ from the city _._ From what he can tell, the technology on this planet is primitive enough he doesn’t need to take extraordinary precautions, but he does make a point to engage the shielding system.The ship blends into the surroundings, making it effectively hidden from eye or sensor, barring someone walking directly into it.He leaves his mask on board, unsure whether or not it would attract attention on this planet.He does regret not having the extra protection against the falling ash.

Kylo is only a minute into his hike south when the bond, after months of silence, suddenly reconnects him with the scavenger. _Well, that didn’t take long._

Rey is dressed strangely, presumably in the manner of the local inhabitants, carrying a wrapped parcel.There is some background commotion he can hear through the bond.

“Where are you?” He blurts immediately. 

He notices her slumped over, her Force signature spent. 

“ _What_ did you do?”

“It’s not a good time, Kylo,” Rey manages.Kylo scoffs. _It’s never a good time with that woman._

Rey’s head darts up suddenly, spying something in her surroundings bringing her to full alert. 

“Rey—“

As quickly as it had come, the bond blinks closed.Kylo growls in frustration, pulling out his lightsaber and igniting the blade.Finding nothing convenient to destroy, he shuts it off after a few seconds, keenly unsatisfied.

— _I’m coming to you,_ Kylo finishes in his head.

———

Kylo is several hours into his journey when he breaks the shelter of stunted trees and enters a clearing.In the distance, he sees a canal, and beyond that further to the south, a junction with a larger body of water — a river.There is a small building at the lock.Several boats are waiting there, cargo transports by their look.

Not bothering to hide his approach, he walks directly toward the building.He finds a local man dressed in simple clothes weathered with ash, a worker manning the canal lock. The man appraises Kylo, and shrinks back apprehensively.

“You,” Kylo commands. “Where is that boat heading?”He points to the next boat waiting to enter the river, a sleek wooden vessel.It is being loaded with several large packing crates by a group of men.

“Lord sir,” he grovels. “I’m afraid I cannot say,” lowering his eyes. 

Kylo sighs and raises a hand, probing the worker’s mind with the Force.He digs around for a few minutes and finds that the man only knows the boat is headed to the city, Luthadel, and that whatever is being transported is important enough that’s he’s afraid to ask any more questions. 

Kylo cares not about whatever goods are on board, but sees an opportunity to shortcut his trip.He walks over to the men near the boat, who had stopped their work as soon as they saw Kylo approach the canal worker.There are six of them, a mix of size and stature, all looking exceedingly unfriendly.

“You’ll take me to the city,” Kylo declares, putting a little of the Force behind his words. 

One man steps forward, a wide fellow with burns on his face.“I think not, sir.This is a private transport.The Lord Ruler’s business.”

A slender man in the group speaks up.“He’s wearing metals.The belt.His boots.”

Kylo ignores the statement, and continues to press.“I need to get to the Luthadel.You’ll take me there.” 

“I don’t know who you are _sir,_ but I am warning you.We are on the Lord Ruler’s business.You should leave.” The man appears to be resistant to his Force persuasion, Kylo notes. 

Kylo does not move.

Two of the men nod to each other, and Kylo feels a strange pull at his waist. _They are using the Force!_ Three of the men rush him, and Kylo immediately goes into offense.

In a smooth movement Kylo pulls his lightsaber from his belt, igniting it as he raises it.The faces of the men are bathed in a red glow, and they involuntarily step back. He raises a hand to Force push them back further.The large man who stepped forward earlier pulls out a battering weapon and comes at him in their place.Kylo immediately slices it with the lightsaber, taking his arm in the process.The man roars, manages to land a blow to his chest with his other arm.The impact is far harder than Kylo could have expected.Kylo stumbles back.Two of the ones he Force pushed away try to rush him again, and Kylo impales one while kicking the other. 

The slender man flicks his wrist and he sees a barrage of projectiles come his way, far faster than a man should be able to throw.Kylo manages to block most of them with the Force, but feels a hit on his side. 

Another powerful blow to the side of his head. _The blow — it’s Force enhanced,_ Kylo thinks for a second before the world goes black.

———

When Kylo blinks his eyes open, he finds himself in a drawing room.It reminds him of the time his mother had brought him to Naboo to visit his grandmother’s palace, elegant and refined.His lightsaber is on a small table inlaid with gold.A short, fat man sits next to it, maybe in his mid-20’s, looking imperious and bored.He feels a stab of pain at his side and looks down to see a moist spot forming, exactly where Chewie had pierced him with the bowcaster at Starkiller base. Kylo grimaces with annoyance, as much at the reminder of that day as at the pain of the wound. 

He shifts as he further gains consciousness, noticing ropes binding his arms behind him.His pack has been removed, and he finds it on the floor near his lightsaber. 

_You idiot. You should have predicted the fact there might be Force users on this planet.As remote as this part of the galaxy is, they probably haven’t even heard of Order 66 never mind were subject to it._ Kylo resolves to not let his guard down again.

The man is looking at him with some curiosity.“You’re bleeding all over my settee,” he drawls. 

Kylo huffs.“You don’t give me much of a choice.Where am I?” 

“You’re currently my guest.”Kylo seethes at his familiar choice of words.“You have the look of a noble, but I don’t believe we’ve met before.Sir Brode Vaxus, son of Beleton Vaxus.You’re in my house.” 

“Kylo Ren.”

“Ren?Haven’t heard of the House.Interesting name.Pretty face, even with that scar.”The man is practically leering.“Are you new to the Central Dominance?”

“I am.”Kylo shifts his legs and tests his bindings.It should be no problem to remove them with the Force.However, the blood is still flowing freely from his wound, and he feels light-headed. 

“You maimed and killed some of my men, Lord Ren.Care to explain?” 

“Your _men_ attacked me,” Kylo spits.

“Ah yes. I’m afraid perhaps it was a matter of wrong place, wrong time.We were on a very important mission for the Lord Ruler, care of my father.”

“The Lord Ruler,” Kylo repeats.It’s the third time the name is mentioned, and Kylo tucks it away.

Two rail thin maids enter the room with trays of cookies, finger sandwiches and tea.The girls look tired, actively trying not to stare at the spread they are carrying before them.One reminds Kylo of Rey, and he feels a stab of anger bloom in his chest.Vaxus waves the girls idly to the table with his lightsaber, where they drop the items, bow, and leave in a hurry.Kylo catches a few of their projected thoughts: _fear and dread and hunger_ and realizes the girls are slaves. __

Kylo fixes the nobleman with a black stare. _My grandfather was a slave._

“Your maids,” Kylo says slowly. “They look hungry.”

“Ha! Aren’t all skaa.They’d eat you out of house and home if you gave them the opportunity.Here, have tea with me.” 

“Care to untie me?”

“I think not,” Vaxus brings himself close as he says the words, sandwich in hand, as if he’s offering to hand-feed his prisoner.

“Well, Lord Ren, I find myself in a bit of a predicament.I don’t know anything about you.You could be working for the Arametes for all I know. You appear to be some kind of Allomancer, and therefore dangerous.I am a sucker, however, for a pretty face.”He takes a pudgy finger, and draws a line down the scar on his brow, pursing his lips in contemplation.

Kylo is apoplectic. _It’s time to end this farce._

He stands, fighting a wave of dizziness.Bringing his face inches from Vaxus’s, he headbutts the fat noble and releases his bindings with the Force. With concentration, he manages to call his lightsaber from the table. Vaxus, stumbling and bleeding from his nose with a look of shock, calls out, “Guards!—” But he is too slow.Before he can finish the rest of his sentence, Kylo brings down his red arc of death, bisecting him in two.

Hardly satisfied, Kylo draws from the pain and anger to feed the Force within him.Two of the men he had encountered earlier at the canal burst through the door of the drawing room, but Kylo is ready for them now.He batters aside their attempts at Force-throwing metal projectiles with a wave of his hand before cutting them down.The wound bleeds with more urgency, but Kylo ignores it. 

He continues to cut down anyone in his path as he makes his way to the exit.At one point, he sees the girls from earlier cowering in an alcove.“Your _master_ is dead,” he says flatly. “Raid his kitchen.Go.” They scurry off.

Outside he encounters more guards and slaves working the fields, the latter pausing in shock as Kylo mows down the remainder of Vaxus’s men. Kylo feels spots form in his vision as he makes his way toward the stables at the far end of the estate. He leaves dozens of bodies in his wake.

At the stables, he attempts to mount a horse with difficulty, fighting the wave of blackness that threatens to overtake him once more.He hears a voice behind him as he slips into unconsciousness, the dark anger feeding him giving way to the massive loss of blood.

“That’s the man from earlier.He’s killed Vaxus’s son.Bring him to my sister.”

———

Back at the inn, over a few pints of ale, Kelsier explains.

“The Lord Ruler is a paranoid man.Kredik Shaw is a fortress, crawling with Obligators and Steel Inquisitors.The only people he lets close to him are the nobles, who for whatever reason, are in his favor.All attempts at infiltrating the palace, at getting close enough to remove him from power, have so far failed.Not only that, he’s a powerful Allomancer, so powerful he somehow has cheated death for at least a thousand years.”

Rey feels a chill.“That rumor is true, then?”

“It’s true.The Lord Ruler’s public appearances are rare, and even among his nobles he has few he allows regular meetings with — the Vaxus House for one.But there is an opportunity, if you will.The Passage.Every five years, nobles from all regions fo the Final Empire have the opportunity to come to Luthadel and compete in a series of contests — physical and mental — for the opportunity to win favor from the Lord Ruler.A man and a woman are chosen as Laurels: winners, if you will.They are granted an audience with the Lord Ruler personally.That will be our opportunity to strike him down.

Usually, it’s the Great Houses who yield Laurels.Vaxus, Aramete, Venture:they have all at some point been winners in the competition, and are loathe to yield power. But many minor Houses send their best and brightest, hoping to ascend status and become the next Great House.You can bet there’s your share of Mistborn among the competitors, although the contests are supposedly designed so that Allomancy brings no advantage.

We’ve been waiting for the opportunity to infiltrate the Passage. You’ll need some coaching so you can blend in amongst the hoity-toity bastards, but with your unique set of skills, I imagine, you will have a distinct edge up.”Kelsier’s eyes sparkle.

“You’ll be Lady Rey Maurel, scion of the Maurel house in the Western regions,” he continues.“It’s a real House, and we’ve spent years building a bulletproof backstory just so we’d have this opportunity.There are so many unknown nobles that travel to Luthadel to compete, you’ll blend in just fine.” 

Rey nods. “Tell me what I need to do.” 

“All in good time, my Lady.”He takes a sip of his drink, slapping it down roughly.“First though, I want you to show me this ‘lightsaber’ of yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh sorry this was a bit of a filler/setup chapter but hopefully it all made sense!


	5. An Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo receives an offer, and makes one of his own.

“How is he doing?” A sharp female voice.

“Still unconscious, my lady, but recovering.”

Kylo blinks his eyes open.He’s propped up on a bed, in a well-appointed, upscale bedroom. His shirt has been removed, and he looks down to find his wound bandaged. 

At the side of the bed, he finds the two women.One is a tall, well dressed noble, pale and coldly beautiful with white blond hair.The other is a girl who he recognizes after a few more blinks — it’s one of the skaa girls from the Vaxus plantation.

“Ah,” the noblewoman looks at Kylo with keen interest. “It appears he has woken up.”

“Where am I?”He finds himself asking for the second time since arriving on this blasted planet.At least this time, he’s not tied up.But his lightsaber is missing, and that is something that makes his cold rage rise by the second.

The noblewoman shrewdly notices Kylo’s eyes seeking, and motions for the skaa girl.“Bring his things.”

The girl brings his clothes, folded neatly, and fortunately for their health, his lightsaber lay on top. 

Kylo waits, his anger eeking away.The pain on his side is blooming, but manageable. _No bacta on this planet, I’m guessing_ , he thinks with annoyance, regretting losing his pack.

The noblewoman continues.“The girl tells me you were responsible for eliminating Brode Vaxus and many of his Mistings.On behalf of the Aramete family, I want to thank you.But you are in danger,” she doesn’t mince words.“I assume you are one of many nobles traveling to Luthadel for the Passage, but surely wherever you are from you have heard of House Vaxus’s influence here.”

Of course, Kylo hadn’t.“His father will be out for your blood, and he has favor with the Lord Ruler,” she continues.

“I am Ella Aramete.I, with my brother, manage our family holdings.We represent a powerful House in Luthadel.And the Vaxus,” her eyes glint, “have been a constant thorn in our side.”

“Kylo Ren,” he introduces himself simply, then remaining silent.The woman was aiming at something, and he is curious to see the conclusion.

The Aramete women looks at him keenly. “Lord Ren,” she rolls his name on her tongue.“I have not heard of that House.Nonetheless, you are clearly a strong warrior, perhaps a Mistborn, although I would not ask you to make such an admission to me.Of course you’re welcome to leave, once you are healed,” the woman continues.“But I have a proposition for you.

“Let us sponsor your admission into the Passage.It’s not unheard of, you will still be able to represent your House, as they would benefit from the Lord Ruler’s favors should you win.But an Aramete sponsored victory would provide us another political advantage against Vaxus.My brother will also be entering, and while he is a _viable_ candidate for Laurel,” there’s a hint of irony in her tone, “having another strong entrant will only work in our favor.” 

Kylo reaches out with the Force as she speaks, looking for any deception.He senses none.Certainly, there was calculation, plans unshared, but primarily he read her naked ambition and even sensed genuine admiration for the stranger in front of her. 

Kylo had no idea what the Passage was, he’d have to dig that out of someone’s mind, but he wasn’t concerned with that, nor with whatever petty political squabble this family was involved in.However: access to the Lord Ruler, who he guess was connected to the powerful source of the Force he felt on his planet — that, to Kylo Ren, was very interesting indeed.

“Say I agree,” he says roughly, “to be sponsored by your House.What is your ask of me?”

“Why nothing, Lord Ren,”Lady Ella responds breezily. “Other than that you win.”Her violet eyes go hard. 

“In exchange, we pay the entrance fee, and your are officially under House Arametes protection.You are welcome at Keep Aramete, until you recover or for the duration of the Passage, unless you have other arrangements you prefer.Cora here,” nodding to the skaa servant girl, “can attend you.”A touch of amusement.“She insisted on staying by your side when my brother recovered you from the Vaxus plantation.It appears you’ve wooed your first admirer.” 

Kylo ignores the girl, who is turning pink.“Very well.I accept.” 

“Splendid,” the lady clasps her hands.She calls the servant to her.“We will take your leave to allow you to recover.Cora will bring breakfast shortly.Call if you need anything, Lord Ren.I am available at your _pleasure_.”There is an emphasis on the last word that is intentional.

When they leave, Kylo meditates, focusing his energy on knitting together his wound with the dark side of the Force, though it takes its toll on him. He curses himself again for being so sloppy. He will not underestimate the dwellers on this planet again. 

———

Lady Ella closes the door behind the dark stranger who killed one of her enemies. _What a fascinating man_ , she thinks.If what the skaa girl told her was even half true (although surely exaggerated), he was a strong Mistborn.He was also undeterred, no, utterly _unimpressed_ , by the fact he was now an enemy of the most powerful House in Luthadel.Behind his confidence, or arrogance, she sensed a strong will and focus.He did not appear to be a man to trifle with.

Ren. She had never heard of the family.She’d have to see what she could learn about them through her networks.But to have _such_ a worthy scion in that House.She thinks, in constrast, about her waste of a brother, irritation bubbling up. _If Gerald wasn’t so keen on gambling our fortune away, he’d probably succeed in drinking it._

Lady Ella encounters her brother in the sitting room.He’s idly stabbing a card table with a dagger.

“Brother. I do believe we can find something else for you to do, rather than destroy our furniture.”

Her brother just gives her that infuriating, ironic smile.“Sister dear.How is our _guest?_ ”

“He appears to be recovering.”

“I’m pleased to hear that.”His tone is in conflict with his words.

He continues.“I do have to wonder, however.You usually have such sound judgement, sibling.Why are we sheltering a dangerous stranger, a _Mistborn_ , in our house?” 

“Why brother,” Ella responds lightly.“Are we jealous?Having two Mistborns at Keep Aramete surely can’t be a bad thing.Unless you think,” a pause, “you couldn’t handle him.With all the time you spend training for the Passage instead of supporting our House, I’d expect you to be a little less threatened and more confident in your capabilities.”

Gerald Aramate is suddenly uncharacteristically serious.“Ella.His strange weapon.I’ve seen another like it before.” 

“Oh?”

“The girl Mistborn I encountered at our refinery, the one we think may be working for Vaxus.She had a glowing sword, very similar. I did not tell you at the time.”

Ella feels her rage grow.“You kept this from me?Why?”

Gerald shrugs.“It did not seem relevant, dear sister.”

 _Fool. Since when did I rely on your judgement?_ Ella thinks.

She composes herself, then speaks.“If he’s working for Vaxus, then Lord Ren has a strange way of showing his allegiance, killing his son.I’m not certain what this means, perhaps they hail from the same city.Find out what you can.Regardless, Lord Ren will be of use to us.”

Gerald spits.“He will do nothing but bring further scrutiny to our House.Vaxus is already looking for ways to undermine us.He is a liability.”

Ella draws her shoulders back, clasping her hands.“He has agreed to be sponsored under Aramete for the Passage,” she says, relishing the announcement.

“Are you mad?Ella?” Gerald’s irritation is now fully unleashed.

“Brother, you know having another Mistborn will be an advantage. Whether he wins or not, having him around is to our advantage. Should we need some leverage with Vaxus, say, supplying him with his son's killer..." she hints. "Either way, I will not argue about this with you.It is done,” she concludes, finality in her voice.

Gerald sulks, then grabs his knife and storms out. 

Ella smiles to herself.Perhaps the rivalry, she hopes, will spur her brother to action. 

And if the mysterious Lord won?Well, that opens up a new set of opportunities.She flashes back to the image of him in her family bed; his broad, scarred chest exposed and vulnerable to her.

———

Kylo is seated at the edge of his bed, attempting to stand, when the bond opens.Rey’s suddenly next to him, seated on her own bed somewhere else.

Rey speaks first.“Ben,” she says softly, looking at his bandaged chest with concern.“You’re wounded.What happened?”

“You know that’s no longer my name,”Kylo snaps woodenly, adjusting himself to be more upright.He refuses to look weak in front of the scavenger, but can’t bring himself to anything more than half hearted attempts at anger at the use of his given name.It’s been so long since he’s spoken to her through the bond.That final moment at Crait, then the brief connection when he first landed on the planet. _When did I become so dependent on it?_

Not knowing how long they have this time, he stares at her openly, drinking her in. She looks well, he thinks.Healthy.Rey notices and blinks a little under his gaze.

“Where’s your med droids? Why aren’t you in one of your fancy First Order bacta tanks?”Rey pauses.If she’s embarrassed at seeing him again so exposed again, chest bare, she doesn’t say anything.Not this time.

Kylo huffs.“I’m nowhere near the First Order.”

There’s a pregnant pause.

“Are you...?” Rey’s eyes light up with hope, then cloud with suspicion. “Are you on _this_ planet, with me?” 

“I’m on Scadrial, yes.I arrived a few days ago.”Kylo rubs his temples. “I thought Jakku was questionable, but you really do have a talent for picking the most isolated backwater planets in the galaxy.What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same of you, _Supreme Leader,”_ she retorts. “Your forces were chasing us near Hoth. I diverted the _Falcon_ to distract them, and I got caught up in some kind of... asteroid storm, before crashing here. 

I think it was the Force that brought me here,” she muses.“That was almost a month ago.”

“I dreamt of it, your arrival.Through the bond, or something else,” Kylo admits.“There is a strong Force presence here, a vergence perhaps.I’ve never felt anything like it.It drew me here.Rey,” his eyes narrow.“I sense that it is... dangerous.You have to be careful.”

“Ha. Coming from a man that’s only been here _a few days_ and has already been stabbed! What did you, start swinging your lightsaber at every man you met?” She’s amused.“You need a teacher.Perhaps a few survival tips and 'how to blend in with the locals' from a scavenger?” 

Kylo smiles slightly, just a turn at the corner of his mouth.They sit in silence, both of them afraid of breaking their playful rapport.When it came to serious topics, Kylo never knew how to broach them to Rey with any success.

“Kylo,” Rey starts, suddenly serious. “There are Force users here, unlike any I’ve ever encountered. They call it Allomancy.Somehow, a segment of the population has the ability to channel aspects of the Force via certain metals.”She pauses.“The Mistborns, as they call them, are the most dangerous.And there’s some kind of dark Force user, the Lord Ruler they call him, who is oppressing the population.And probably subverting the Force.You need to be careful of him, Kylo.He has these creatures... Steel Inquisitors.And others.”

Allomancy.Mistborns. _So that is how the men were able to overpower him._ “I’ve heard this Lord Ruler mentioned,” he says.

A pause.“Where are you Rey?Are you in the city?”

She nods.Her mouth tightens.“I have friends here, Kylo.I won’t let you hurt them.I’m going to help them stop the Lord Ruler.”

Of course.The scavenger has already collected some new local rabble.Kylo doesn’t bother to hide his frustration. 

The words come out in a rush.“Rey.This isn’t your fight.You should,” ( _join me_ , he wants to say, but chokes it back), “—focus on finding a way off this ash planet and back to your Resistance friends.There is something dark in the Force here.Likely a powerful Sith, or an artifact. This planet is not safe, especially for you.”He recalls the moment in the throne room with Snoke, how Snoke tortured her while he watched, powerless.Kylo squeezes a fist.

“I have a ship, near the mountains to the north.I can give you instructions,” he continues to plead.

Rey gives him an odd look.“Kylo... Ben,” she says softly.Through the bond, he hears her thoughts leak through. _Confusion at his offer, which could be suicide for him, and if not, a high probability he’d be stranded on this remote planet forever.Is he tired of being the Supreme Leader?Is ruling the galaxy not what he’d thought it would be?Would he, could he, finally join her and turn back to the light?Should she hope?_

Kylo turns his gaze, as if that would stop the thoughts passing between them through the bond.“It’s not... what I thought it would be,” he finally says, answering her unspoken questions.“Leave me here.Save yourself.”Kylo knows he deserves it, and not a shred of her pity or absolution.

Rey shakes her head.“I won’t abandon my friends here, and I won’t give up on you.” 

Tentatively, she reaches out a hand to bridge the space between them, inches that feel like miles. 

He feels the cool touch of her hand for a brief second before the bond whisks Rey away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness of this. :( Got caught up in another fun story, which you are welcome to check out
> 
> still my bleeding heart \- a quick one shot on the concept: What if bleeding a lightsaber causes a darksider pain? During TFA, Kylo goes to Niima to get help repairing his lightsaber. Rey repairs his lightsaber, and so much more.


	6. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets a few lessons in preparation for her first trial.  
> \---  
>  _When Kelsier mentioned lessons for blending with the nobility, Rey imagined table etiquette and tips on how to move in those bloated dresses without stumbling like a happabore. All things that would be hard enough given her scavenger background._  
>  _Writing with a fancy brush? NOT on her radar._  
>  _A rush of air, a vibration in the Force, and the bond pops open._
> 
> _Not now, Rey grinds her teeth._
> 
> _Kylo watches her blunder for several minutes, blots forming where there should have been graceful letters. Rey is resolved to not give into her self-consciousness, feeding her annoyance instead. If he thinks I’m going to stop just because he’s watching me…_
> 
> _“Don’t hold it like a pen,” he finally offers. Curt and short. “Gently, in your palm. Above the center of the brush. The brush should be pointed straight down.”_
> 
> _Rey bites her lip and considers saying something snarky back, the stops herself._
> 
> _“Like this?” She fists the brush._  
>  _“It’s not a lightsaber,” he says, amused. “You’re not trying to stab someone with it._

When Kelsier mentioned lessons for blending with the nobility, Rey imagined table etiquette and tips on how to move in those bloated dresses without stumbling like a happabore.All things that would be hard enough given her scavenger background.

Writing with a fancy brush? NOT on her radar.

A rush of air, a vibration in the Force, and the bond pops open.

 _Not now,_ Rey grinds her teeth.

Kylo watches her blunder for several minutes, blots forming where there should have been graceful letters.Rey is resolved to not give into her self-consciousness, feeding her annoyance instead. _If he thinks I’m going to stop just because he’s watching me…_

“Don’t hold it like a pen,” he finally offers.Curt and short.“Gently, in your palm. Above the center of the brush.The brush should be pointed straight down.”

Rey bites her lip and considers saying something snarky back, the stops herself. 

“Like this?”She fists the brush, holding it perpendicular to the paper. 

“It’s not a lightsaber,” he says, amused. “You’re not trying to _stab_ someone with it.Although that seems to be your go-to move.”

This time she can’t hold back.“Well I’m _sorry_. I didn’t grow up with Chandrila tutors at my beck and call,” she snaps. “While you were learning how to paint pretty letters, I was knocking Teedo ankles so they didn’t carry off pieces of my AT-AT.”

Kylo goes quiet.Without a word, he stands up and walks behind Rey.He folds his fingers around hers, guide them lightly over the brush. _He’s not wearing his gloves._ “Like this. Breathe.You want your hand to be relaxed, but firm.Like holding an egg.“

She’s shocked when feels another large hand press the small of her back firmly.

“You need to sit straight.Shoulders loose.” 

Kylo moves his hand, still wrapped around hers.The ink flows smoothly as he forms letters with her hand.His other hand remains at the bottom of her back, holding her firm.She feels her palm start to sweat, and hopes Kylo doesn’t notice.

“Clear your mind.Calligraphy is like meditation.You Jedi are supposed to be good at that, right?” He teases into her ear. 

The last thing Rey is thinking about is meditation, unfortunately.But her stubbornness won’t let her admit that to Kylo Ren.

“I think I might be better at stabbing things,” she mutters instead, snatching her hand away.

“And _I’m_ the darksider here,” he smirks.

His hand remains on her back a few seconds longer, before he pulls away, almost regretfully.

Kylo is looking much healthier, Rey thinks.If the wound she saw on his side earlier was bothering him, he made no sign.

It’s been three days since the bond last connected them, and Rey had been busy cramming everything she could to be able to blend in effectively as “Rey Maurel” and prepare for what might await her in the Passage.She did not have a lot of time to think about her last encounter with Kylo, and his offer to her.

According to Kelsier, each Passage trial is random, chosen by the Lord Ruler himself.The element of surprise made it challenging to prepare for.It could be a test of wits, strength, culture, or any other skill.At the end of the series of trials, points would be tallied and the winners would be granted an audience with the Lord Ruler at Kredik Shaw to receive the Laurel and whatever other favors he might grant. 

Kylo clears his throat, bringing her back.“Have you thought about what I told you earlier?You could still leave.”

“Not a chance,” Rey says, still trying to concentrate on her letters, making more of a mess.After a few more seconds she gives up.

“If you’re going to insist on staying, we should work together,” Kylo argues. 

“I have my own plan,” Rey states calmly.She offers nothing else.The last thing she needed was the raging Supreme Leader coming in blazing with a lightsaber, blowing her cover and all the work that Kelsier had been planning for years.

Kylo clenches his fists at his sides.Rey feels his frustration eek though the bond.“And I suppose you won’t share that with me.”

A pause. Then, with suspicion lacing his voice: “Why are you learning calligraphy?”

Before Rey can invent a suitable excuse, the bond closes. 

———

Samsin, Breeze, and Kelsier are helping her dress, and Rey is not making it easy for them. 

“You have to wear it, Rey.It’s the fashion for the ladies of Luthadel.“Rey Maurel’ needs to blend in, not look like some skaa errand boy,”Kelsier insists. 

“Yes, yes,” Rey harrumphs from behind her bedroom door.“I’m coming out!”

She emerges in her noblewoman disguise, a pale green empire waisted gown with a matching short cowl.The top is a high neck embroidered tulle, and while probably conservative for Luthadel fashion, exposes too much of Rey’s skin for her to be comfortable.The skirts are layered strips that offer some degree of movement, but are more fabric than Rey is used to dealing with. Fortunately they end above her ankle, saving her from tripping all over herself.After arguing with Breeze for fifteen minutes, he relents to pairing it with some elegant, flat heeled ankle boots (instead of those pointy things she had _no_ idea how any woman could walk around in).

She draws the line when Breeze attempts to paint her face. 

“Well, she’s a delight!”Breeze cries, amused.“Who would have thought the skaa mouse could have cleaned up so prettily.”

Rey, pulling the fabric of her bodice up and down, is not amused. _Why is everything so_ _tight?_ “But what if the test is some kind of fighting?You can’t expect me to be able to move effectively in this!”A pause. “Can’t I just wear my leggings, tunic and one of those fancy Mistcloaks?I can use it to hide my lightsaber.”

“Mistborns don’t walk around advertising the fact,” Kelsier tuts.He’s clearly enjoying this.“The Houses guard their identities very closely.If there’s Mistborn among the candidates for Laurel, and there certainly will be, you’ll never know.I’m afraid you’ll have to leave your lightsaber at the inn.”

“Fat chance,” Rey mumbles.“You’re sending me into a den of snakes.”

Pausing, she has an idea.

Using a narrow leather belt and the holster from her Resistance clothing, she fastens a thigh holster.She separates the strips of her skirts until she exposes her leggings, while Samsin modestly turns his eyes away.Kelsier and Breeze just look on, dubious.Fixing her lightsaber to her leg, she pulls down the skirt strips and smooths them.Rey does a little twirl in the mirror.They are full enough to manage to hide her weapon, barring any careful scrutiny or search.

“There. I'll feel better if it’s on me, even if it’s not easily at hand,” Rey declares.

Kelsier just rolls his eyes.“If you do your job and just blend it, it shouldn’t be an issue.No one would dare an attack the Passage, there are too many eyes, and did I not already mention… Mistings and Mistborn? Not to say there aren’t plenty of people that _want_ to kill each other, it’s just that the nobles that are at each others’ throats tend to leave their machinations to more subtle arenas.”He finishes.

“As the most powerful House in Luthadel, Lord Vaxus will be hosting the first contest,” Breeze adds. “When you arrive, the candidates will be informed of the nature of the test.Be ready, Rey.And be careful.Vaxus is not a man to be trifled with.” He waves his hand as he sips idly from a glass of wine.

Samsin interrupts, his brow furrowed. “Vaxus is still hosting the test?With the attack on his House, I would have thought he would be in mourning.”

Kelsier just shakes his head. “It appears not.Vaxus will likely use this as an opportunity to sniff out which of his rivals orchestrated the attack.All the more reason to stay low, Rey.If you do well, and I’m betting you have a good chance of doing so, you’ll likely be invited to stay for the post event party.The nobles like to play games and enjoy a bit of music.Try to get close to them without giving yourself away.We may be able to learn something of use.”

Rey nods. 

“I’m ready,” she declares, not quite feeling the conviction of her words.“Take me to Vaxus’s estate.”

———

Vaxus’s estate, at the heart of Luthadel, is even more grand than the keep Rey had visited during the encounter with the Mistborn her first night in Luthadel.Like the others, it is surrounded off from the rest of the city by a broad wall.But this was her first time inside, and she was shocked at how expansive it was, many acres of elaborate gardens with an imposing stone castle at its rear.

In the main courtyard, hundreds of richly dressed nobles milled, contenders and observers, with more arriving by the minute. At the rear, near the castle, Rey spied enormous pitched tents, each big enough to hold hundreds, and those under socializing with drinks and plates of light snacks.

The ash is falling heavily today, and the nobles cluster in the tents or shelter with parasols.Rey pulls the hood of her cowl up.A little self conscious, Rey feels all eyes are assessing her when she crosses the main gate, but relaxes when she finds the group doing the same for every candidate coming in.

A tall servant approaches her, and asks, “My Lady.You are here as a candidate for the Passage?”

“Yes,”Rey says, gathering her bearing in the way that Breeze taught her.“Lady Rey Maurel.”

“Very good.You can register at the table near that tent,” he points, “The rules of the first trialwill be explained at commencement, in fifteen minutes.Good luck, my Lady.”The man bows, then makes his way to the next guest.

Rey heads to the tent to register.It goes off without a hitch, Kelsier’s crafted identity apparently holding firm.The attendant hands her a sash, a beautiful piece of white silk embroidered with gold thread.She looks around furtively to see how the other contestants are wearing it, before deciding to just hang on to it in her hand for the time being.

Taking a glass of water from a skaa servant, she sips nervously as she waits.

She turns, and recognizes the face staring at her.

It’s the white haired noble from the first night.The Mistborn.Wearing a gold thread sash.

Rey freezes. _Bantha shit!_

He has an easy, confident grin on his face as he closes the distance between them.Rey, remembering that her face was covered when the first met, forces herself to relax. _He doesn’t know you.He’s just being friendly._

 _“_ Lady,” he bows with a flourish.“Do you need help with that?”He’s pointing at the sash she’s clutching. 

“Um... yes?”Rey manages.

“May I?”

Rey nods, handing him the sash.

Carefully, he drapes it over one shoulder, pinning it at her waist.The mechanism for pinning, she realizes, is made of a fine ivory.No metal. 

He smiles at Rey, and it’s a warm, easy thing. “Always glad to be of service. I haven’t seen you around Luthadel.And I’d certainly remember such a remarkably pretty face.” He scans her features, and Rey is suddenly painfully aware of how violently she rejected Breeze and Samsin’s attempts at putting any makeup or jewelry on her. 

“Er, yes,” Rey pulls her prepared backstory to the front of her mind.“I’m in town for the Passage.Rey Maurel.My uncle is Lord Marcus Maurel.”

He pauses, clearly searching.“Can’t say I’ve heard of the House, darling.That said, I have to admit I’m not the best at keeping up with all of the minor Houses in the Final Empire, that’s more of my sister’s forte.” A small smirk. 

“Your sister...?”Rey asks, confused.

“Ah yes!My apologies.You are speaking with Lord Gerald Aramete, of House Aramete.My sister is Lady Ella.”Another deep bow.“I came early.She’ll be arriving a bit later, I assume.The ladies do take a while to put themselves together, don’t they?”

Aramete.Rey recalls the name from her lessons with Kelsier.The Arametes were one of the most powerful houses in Luthadel, headed by a brother and sister. So the house she must have encountered that night was the Aramete keep.One of the heirs a Mistborn, then. 

He had seen her lightsaber.Not good.

If Gerald is expecting a response from Rey, he doesn’t show it.He clears his throat.“Well, Lady Rey, what say you? Should we join the others in the main tent?”

“You can just call me Rey,” she offers.She not entirely sure why.She knows she’s supposed to stick to the script, but all of the Lords and Ladies titles were not putting her at ease.“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Aramete.I’ve heard great things about your family. It's an honor,” She adds, in an attempt at saving her cover as someone noble bred.

He smiles at her.“Well! If I’m going to call you Rey, I will have to insist on you calling me Gerald.”His blue eyes sparkle keenly with interest.Offering his arm as an escort, he gestures toward the main tent.“Shall we?”

“Let’s.”Rey takes the man’s arm, hoping her lightsaber does not brush against him as they walk in tandem.She would not look forward to explaining that.

The tent is massive, but so is the crowd.She finds herself standing closer to Gerald and the other nobles than she likes.Everyone appears to be waiting in anticipation of an arrival at the head of the tent, there’s a dias set up with three throne-like chairs and a sturdy oak table in front of them. 

After a few minutes, the crowd gets their satisfaction. 

A Lord emerges from the castle, greys threading his black hair, but still hearty and formidable looking despite his years.He has a scar along his lip, and a solemn impression as he takes his seat.Flanking him are two other nobleman, a man and a woman.

 _Will the Lord Ruler be here?Is this him?_ Rey wonders.Worried, she double checks her mental barriers.She is not as great at shielding as Kylo is, and is a bit annoyed by that, unsurewhether her annoyance is directed at him or at herself for rejecting his offer to teach her.

The grey haired lord raises his hand.“Thank you.I welcome to my home.I am honored to host the first trial for the Passage.”His eyes are flinty steel as he gazes on the crowd.

 _So this is Beleton Vaxus_ , Rey concludes. 

Vaxus continues.“The Lord Ruler has commanded a trial of coordination and physical skill. For the first test, the candidates will perform in an archery contest. The man and the woman with the highest overall scores, as totaled from each round, will earn the honors of first winner.

To ensure there’s no chance of tampering, all equipment will be supplied by us, care of the Lord Ruler.There will be no metal in the bowstrings, arrows, or otherwise.”There is a warning in his tone.

Vaxus rises, and the crowd splits as a variety of servants emerge to lay out the archery setup in the main tent.There are paper targets set at 30 meter intervals from wooden shooting platforms. The targets are drawn with four rings, with a 5 cm bullseye at its center. A giant “X” crosses each target at the center, breaking the rings into four quadrants.

Rey follows Gerald with the other contestants to the other tents as the Vaxus servants setup for the trial.Internally, she’s panicking.

Archery was not on the list of things she had prepared for.

Sure, she had played around with Chewie’s bowcaster, and is more than a fair aim with a blaster, but she really had no idea what she was in for here.

Noticing there was a practice area being setup for the contestants, Rey walks over.There’s a table with equipment with a variety of unstrung wooden bows, a pile of three fingered leather gloves, and circles of wrapped bowstrings. The other candidates are examining the bows and selecting from a pile of gloves.

Gerald follows, and notices Rey’s confused look.

“Not much of an archer, Rey?”

“Um, no,”Rey admits.“I haven’t picked up one of these bows for a long time,” she lies. _Try never._

He smiles with something like a sympathetic look.“I can show you.”He rifles through some of the available bows, assessing their lengths as he looks at Rey. “Try this one.”Rey follows the lead of the other contestants, testing the gloves on her right hand until she finds one that fits. 

“What do I do?” She holds the circle of bowstring out.

Gerald demonstrates how to string the bow, hooking the top and bottom loops to a fixed hook as he bends the bow back.“These are recurve bows, I’m not sure if you have experience with them.The recurve will create more power.” 

Gerald nods to one of the practice targets set up.“Come.Let’s practice.If the draw weight is too much for you, we can select another.” 

Rey isn’t sure why Gerald was being so helpful, but she follows. 

Picking an arrow from a barrel setup near the shooting platform, Gerald shows her how to nock the bow.He then takes the recurve from her hands. “You’ll want to stand like this, at about your arrow length,”he faces to the right, shoulder to the target, with his feet planted in a shallow ‘V’, “The stance should feel stable.Keep your left arm strong, and draw with the thumb of the glove.” Removing the arrow, he demonstrates the draw, before closing the bow carefully and handing it back to Rey.

“Okay,” Rey attempts the setup.She fixes the string in the hardened notch in the glove, glancing at Gerald. 

“Like this,” he shows her the right position for her hand, moving it closer to the arrow.“When you release, you want it to be as light as possible.Let the glove help you.” 

Gerald stands behind her as she prepares the shot, adjusting her stance with his hands, before moving to her shoulder and arm positions.Rey freezes.

_Please don’t let him touch the lightsaber.Please don’t let him touch the lightsaber._

Fortunately, Gerald manages to avoiding the area of her thigh where the lightsaber is strapped firm.Satisfied, he breathes into her ear from behind her, uncomfortably close, “Now draw, my lady.”

Rey takes a breath, and pulls the bow down and toward her by pushing her arm forward and squeezing her right elbow as Gerald had demonstrated.

She closes her eyes, and lets her heartbeat slow as she feels for the Force.She focuses on the target, connecting it with the arrow at tension in her bowstring.She adjusts her aim by a fraction until it feels right. 

She opens her eyes, and without thinking, releases her hand. 

The arrow flies true, and hits the bullseye.There’s the sound of a satisfying ‘pop’ as the paper is pierced cleanly.

Rey smiles.

“Very nicely done, Rey!”A touch of surprise.She turns to see Gerald staring at her with something like awe, and a touch of suspicion.“You seem to have undersold your experience.Ah well, I find modesty a charming trait in a lady.”His eyes sparkle a bit.

Rey gives her teacher a triumphant grin, before her face falls flat. 

Over his shoulder, maybe a dozen feet away, she spots Kylo Ren.

He is staring at her, furious. 

_Oh no._

At Kylo’s side is a beautiful woman, a tall noble with white gold-hair, also looking in their direction.She has a proud, polite smile, but Rey can see the woman’s eyes narrow.

 _She resembles Gerald_ , Rey thinks.

Gerald speaks first, stepping away from Rey and in the direction of Kylo and the woman.“Ella,” he calls out. “How good of you to finally make it.“

 _His sister,_ Rey makes the connection. _Why is Kylo with her?_

For a second Rey stands there dumbly, then feels a hand drawing her free arm as she clutches the other holding the bow with white knuckles.Gerald pulls her toward Kylo and Ella.Rey sees Kylo’s eyes flick downward in the direction of the arm clasping hers. His mouth is drawn in a tight line. 

When they are feet apart, Gerald continues.“Ella, Lord Ren, please meet Lady Rey Maurel.Rey, please meet my sister, Ella, and our guest.Lord Kylo Ren.”

“Lady Aramete. _Lord_ Ren.”Rey manages to not stumble as she says the title.Kylo truly does look like a prince, she must admit, garbed as he was.He’s dressed in all black, as usual, but in the manner of the nobles, with a fine coat dotted with pearlescent buttons.He’s wearing a black cape, shorter, in the manner of the local fashion.He looks as confident in his clothes as Rey feels awkward in hers.

“Lady Rey,” Kylo says slowly.Testing the words on his tongue. 

“Rey is one of the contenders today,” Gerald nods toward her sash, “and likely to be a formidable one if she can replicate what she just showed me.”He gives Rey a wink. 

Rey fights to keep the flush out of her face as she feels Kylo’s stare on her. She gently disengages her arm from Geralds, and manages, “Lord Gerald here was just showing me how to shoot.He’s a _wonderful_ teacher.So patient.”Rey can’t resist a hint of teasing in her tone, aimed at the Supreme Leader. Once of his hands tightens into a fist.

“Well, I do believe Rey must have had some experience with the bow beforehand.Either that, or she’s quite the natural!”Gerald continues, oblivious. 

Lady Ella Aramete finally speaks.“So nice to make your acquaintance, Lady Maurel.You must excuse us though. Kylo here—”, _was there a touch of possessiveness in her tone?_ “— should prepare for the contest.”She says it with the air of a woman used to giving orders, and having them obeyed.

Kylo ignores it.“For a teacher to have any influence, they must have a willing student.”His voice is hard.Rey returns his gaze defiantly.

Gerald smiles coldly at Kylo.“I assure you Lord Ren. Rey was _more_ than willing.” 

The mood suddenly shifts. 

_Oookay then._ Rey makes a split second decision.She grab’s Kylo’s arm, and yanks him away from the Arametes siblings.Cheerily, she calls out,“It’s only polite that a favor must be paid forward.I can show _Lord_ _Ren_ here the ropes.Thank you, Gerald, and see you at the platform!” 

Ella opens her mouth to protest, and Gerald looks confused, but Rey’s already pulling Kylo away through the crowd.She doesn’t look back until she finds a small garden behind the registration tent with some hedges that shield them from the rest of the crowd.

“What is going on here, Kylo?” Rey snarls, once she’s confident they have some semblance of privacy. 

“I could ask the same of you.I didn’t realize flirting with the locals was part of your _plan.”_ Kylo’s eyes glint dangerously.

“I wasn’t flirting!”

“That’s not what it looked like,” Kylo huffs.“The Aramete fool had his hands all over you.”

"That's rich. What are you doing with Ella Aramete?"

There's an awkward moment of silence as they both fume. Rey realizes that this is the first time, since the incident on the Supremacy, that they have seen each other outside of the bond.Kylo looks down, and she’s realizes she’s still holding onto his arm.Slowly, she lets go.

“Kylo— _what_ are you doing here?”Rey sputters.

Kylo smiles.“Apparently, the same thing as you.I presume your goal is to win this contest, and infiltrate Kredik Shaw?”

“How did you find out about the Passage?”

“I made my own _friends_ here.By the way, nice outfit, ‘Lady Rey.’It suits you better than those rags the Resistance supplies you,” he says lightly.

Kylo’s gaze sweeps up and down openly. Rey feels a stab of self-consciousness and crosses her arms over her chest.

“Don’t change the subject.” 

Kylo sighs a bit.“We need to work together.Had I not been there with you on the Supremacy, the Red Guard would have taken you apart.You won’t be able to take on the Lord Ruler alone.Whoever he is, he has a strong command of the dark side.I had a run in with those Steel Inquisitors you mentioned when scouting his fortress last night.Not to mention the planet is crawling with other Force users, limited as they may be.” 

Rey recalls those glinting steel eyes, and involuntarily shudders.“What are they?The Steel Inquisitors?”

Kylo just shakes his head.“I’m not sure.The ancient Sith were rumored to create all manner of creatures. They even held the secret to transcending death and draining the life force from entire planets.Darth Plagueis, Palpatine’s master, had recovered some of this knowledge. Rey, promise me, you won’t face them alone.Or him.”

Rey pauses, and admits to herself that Kylo is right. 

“What do you propose, Ben?”

Kylo’s eyes narrow at the use of his given name, but he says nothing. “Our bond.Stop fighting it.Drop your shields to me.When we fought together, did you not sense it?You knew what to do.You took it from my head. ”

Rey turns her eyes away.The memory still burns in her mind.The sensation of unity and power in the Force, of completing each other’s thoughts, and the way they moved in synchronicity.But she recalls equally the painful memory afterward, his impossible offer to her and her rejection, and leaving Crait with the divide between them greater than before.

“So we both win this contest.We take on the Lord Ruler.We defeat him together.”Rey states slowly. “Then what? You go back to the First Order and try to kill my friends?”

“We can worry about that later,” Kylo responds dismissively.“For now, we need each other.” 

His lips are slightly parted as he waits patiently for her response.

Unable to summon an argument, Rey nods sharply.“Very well.We work together.”

A voice booms from beyond their hiding spot.

“Candidates.Please gather at the main tent to begin the first trial.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there a bit of jealous!rey and jealous!kylo happening? 
> 
> PS I'm having way too much fun with this. Thanks for reading <3


	7. The First Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Per the terms of their tentative truce, Rey drops her mental shields and fully opens up her bond to Kylo. Kylo and Rey compete in the first trial with interesting results.

As they walk toward the main tent, Rey strips the mental shields she had erected against Kylo, per the terms of their fragile truce.Immediately there is a sense of relief, a humming of pleasure in the Force.A part of Rey relaxes, like a muscle that was held in spasm for months.Rey resists the urge to sigh.

<< _Can you hear this? >>_She feel’s Kylo’s voice in her head probe gently as they walk side by side.

<< _I can >>._Rey reaches out. The sensation is strange.It is like flexing an unused muscle.

She feels a thrum of contentment in response.Unfettered, and bolstered by their proximity, the bond feels stronger than ever.Before, they could only sense each other’s moods and emotions, and it seems like they’ve graduated to full on ability to telepathy via the Force.The discovery is both alarming and… secretly thrilling.

“Go equip yourself for the test.We’ll talk afterward,” Rey says to Kylo out loud.He nods and they part ways.Rey makes her way to the area with the rest of the contestants, waiting to take their turns against the opponents.

The first rounds are simply tests of accuracy.There are about a hundred contestants, Rey gathers, a mixture of men and women, all waiting their turn to be paired in groups of four. For the first phase, the women are separated from the men, Rey notes, although sex has no advantage in the contest.There are two sets of shooting areas, each with one of the nobles she has witnessed earlier flanking Lord Vaxus as judge.

The goal is to hit as close to the bullseye as possible.Each winner moves on to the next round, where the winners from the previous sets are eliminated. 

Rey, in her first pairing, does well.Almost all of the candidates get their arrows in the two inner rings, but another woman, clearly confident with the bow, hits the center ring centimeters from the bullseye.However, when Rey takes her turn she makes a point to center herself in the Force like earlier, winning her the advantage when the judges measure the distance to the center. _Thank stars for that,_ Rey thinks, as she becomes one of the twelve contestants to move to the next round.

Other nobles take note her of her victory and look on her with curiosity.She feels the comfortable weight of her lightsaber again on her thigh.

In the pause after her turn, Rey watches the other rounds.Kylo’s turn is up.He’s pitted against 3 other noblemen, all shorter, unsurprisingly, because Kylo is built like a Wookie.There’s a fat, smarmy one with a mustache who looks all too confident.Kylo ignores them all as he examines his bow in a way that makes Rey think he finds it lacking.

<< _It is >>, _Kylo responds to the thought in her mind.<< _There’s a flaw in the grain of the wood here. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these cretins sabotaged them on purpose. >>_He looks up at Rey with an amused smirk on his face.

 _< <How do you know _ANYTHING _about shooting a recurve bow? >>_She shoots back silently.

<< _There’s much you don’t know about me >>,_ Kylo’s responds wordlessly, pride eeking through the bond.<< _I offered to teach you, once. >>_

Rey just huffs out loud. 

Kylo's actions prove her skepticism wrong.He’s first to shoot, taking his time to carefully position the bow and knock the arrow with a masterful ease.He raises his arms to begin the draw and it’s elegant, like a descending stream of rain, when he pulls it to his body for full draw, the arrow set perfectly in place upon arrival.

Rey thinks she hears the crowd hush as they watch the dark, mysterious man wait for his release.

Shit.Maybe Mr. Supreme Leader does know what he’s doing, Rey has to admit.

Rey finds that she can almost feel the sensation, through the bond, and the uncharacteristic stillness in Kylo’s mind as he centers himself for the shot. There’s barely any movement from Kylo as he release the string, his body as still as a statute except for a barely perceptible slight flick of his right hand.

It’s not unlike Force meditation, Rey thinks, as Kylo’s arrow hits the bullseye cleanly.

“Hmm.Nice shot, sir.” the fat smarmy noble calls out behind him, fingering his mustache.He clasps his hand on Kylo’s back in a gesture of congratulations. 

Kylo goes rigid.

<< _Please, don’t. >>_Rey urges him. 

Kylo, whether he is taking the hint or not through the bond, relaxes, and turns to the noble with a bored, but politely neutral look on his face.He merely nods as him to indicate he should take his turn.

<< _If he touches me again >>, _Kylo promises through the bond.<< _He loses that hand. >> _An image of a red lightsaber slashing flashes through Rey’s mind.

The corner of Rey’s mouth turns up slightly. 

<< _Don’t be an idiot.It WAS nice shooting >>, _she scolds him, in genuine admiration.<< _Where did you learn how to do that? >>_

Kylo smiles slightly in her direction, looking every part the descendant of Naboo and Alderaan royalty he was. 

<< _As it turns out, my mother’s grooming wasn’t completely useless. >>_

Rey knows better than to press him, but gets a flash of images through the bond.A child, forced into practicing the princely habits expected of his noble birth, whether it’s calligraphy, Alderaan hair braiding, the ceremony of tea, and apparently, the refined art of shooting bow and arrow.

The other contestants paired with Kylo go through the exercise of making their shot, but as predicted, Kylo turns out winner of his round. 

The eliminated fall back with the other nobles observers, and the 24 remaining step forward.They receive their instructions on the next round.

“Form two groups, men and women on each shooting platform.All of you shall take turns shooting an arrow in the designated quadrant.When a contestant misses, they shall be eliminated.We’ll continue until there are 2 contestants remaining in each group.Four total for the final round.”

Rey concentrates.The first round, the target quadrant is the outermost ring in the upper left. When she prepares her draw, she finds herself having unconsciously absorbed of Kylo’s mannerisms - the way he curls his finger when knocks the arrow, for example.Rey marvels.Could this be the bond?

 _< <How did you think you beat me, on Starkiller?>> _Kylo huffs somewhere in her mind. _< <You’d never held a lightsaber before that day.Yet, you were able to hold your own, and eventually, get a strike on me.I, who have spent nothing but years as a warrior training all of the forms with the saber.>>_

Rey chooses not to respond, focusing instead on the task before her. She takes aim, again with the Force, and lands a clear hit.She finds herself relaxing more into the task, more confident, perhaps needing even less of the nudge from the Force than previously.She’s rewarded with the soft sounds of claps from the spectators.

 _Well, this is going well._ Rey admits to herself.

She notices Vaxus, re-emerged from his castle at some point, staring at her from the judging dias.His eyes a steel grey, revealing nothing. 

More contestants are eliminated, and Rey finds herself among the last four men and women remaining.

It’s Kylo, herself, Gerald Aramete, and an elegant woman with a green ribbon threaded through her braided hair.

Vaxus stands.The crowd hushes.

“We have our final four contestants for the first trial,” He calls out boredly.“Gerald, of House Aramete.Kylo, of House Ren, sponsored by…” he raises his eyebrow, only slightly, “House Aramete.Margo of House Corran.Rey of House Maurel.”He gives her an unreadable look.

“These worthy candidates will now all compete in the final round.By the grace of the Lord Ruler, you shall prevail.”Vaxus nods for the judge on his right to continue with the rest of the instructions.

The judge continues.“For the final round, the goal is to hit the bullseye.The winners will be the man and woman whose arrow measures closest to the center.The targets shall be placed at further distance, increasing the challenge.”He nods to the skaa servants, who are already moving the targets an additional ten meters back.

“Furthermore,” the judge continues.“All contestants must take their shot without benefit of use of their full senses.”He pulls out a pile of four blindfolds.“Correct form, correct shooting.”

Rey is not alarmed by the new constraints, but forces herself into a look of distress.She knows she has the benefit of the Force on her side.Kylo makes no such effort, looking as arrogant as usual, she notes.

“Here is the shooting order:Lady Corran, Lady Maurel, Lord Ren, Lord Aramete.By the grace of the Lord Ruler, may you win,” the judge concludes his pronouncements.

Lady Corran, if she is nervous, reveals nothing as she steps to the platform.Calmly, she sets her stance, knocking the arrow with a practiced ease.A skaa servant stands behind her and secures the blindfold, gently but firm around her face.The judge barks out.“Begin!”

Lady Corran, takes her shot and hits the target in a respectable position on the inner ring, toward the right.Rey can’t help but admire the skill and many hours of practice required to be so accurate, with so many variables removed and without the aid of the Force, as far as she can tell, to help her.She was clearly a master archer in her own right.

Corran’s target is removed for final judging, and replaced with a fresh one for Rey’s turn.Rey repeats the ready motions, trying to ignore the fact that she has less than a total of dozen shots under her belt.She’s already reaching for the Force when the skaa wraps the blindfold around her face, and the world goes black. 

“You may proceed.”She hears the voice of the judge call out.

Rey begins her draw.

<< _Feel the target with the Force.The arrow wants to be there_ >> she hears Kylo in her mind at draw.<< _Shift your aim just a hair to the left._ >>

<< _I know what to do! >> _Rey responds in irritation, breaking a little of her concentration.She takes a breath however, and does what Kylo suggests.She sinks even deeper into the Force, catching not just the path of the arrow, but the feelings and thoughts of those around her. 

“… _Who is that Lady?I’ve not seen her in Luthadel before?” … “Pretty thing, her shooting is unconventional, but can’t argue with the results” … “She’s a top candidate for Laurel, I need to make sure my bookie registers my new bet…”_

There isn’t a conscious release.One second, Rey is at draw, she hears the whoosh of the arrow flying by and the sound of the paper target snapping.

Through the Force, she knows she has made the bullseye.

Around her, the crowd is hushed.An applause bursts as she pulls the blindfold off her head.

“A bullseye!”The male judge calls out.“Very impressive, Lady Maurel.”

Rey steps off the platform, the Force still swirling around her.She thinks she can detect a few faint trails of mists lapping her ankles, faint tendrils the size of a pencil or smaller, and hopes that no one sees.

She brushes Kylo as she passes him on his way up to his turn. 

_< <You have your lightsaber>>, _he says through the bond, amused.

<< _Yes, and you have yours somewhere under that cape, I presume?_ >>She snaps back.

 _< <I do,>> _he admits, as he sets his stance and begins knocking the arrow. _< <Although, in a much more… conventional location.>>_

An image of the lightsaber being strapped to her thigh shoots to her through the bond, and it’s unquestionably more…erotic, than the actual experience of Rey blundering to secure the lightsaber stealthily under the piles of fabric when getting dressed.

<< _Stay focused >>, _Rey snaps, glad to know that Kylo can’t see her reddening face behind him. 

Kylo releasing, making the second bullsize of the day, and there is another round of applause and laudations. 

“Lord Ren makes a direct hit.”

Kylo doesn’t attempt to look surprised as they remove his blindfold, not even bothering to confirm the results with his eyes.

The final contestant is Gerald Aramete.Gerald looks as confident as the First Order Supreme Leader when he steps up to the shooting platform.Kylo, boldly, stands next to Rey to watch.There’s a smug look on Kylo's face as he waits for the round to play out.

Gerald brushes his white hair to the side before beginning, waiting for the skaa to replace the target with a fresh one.As he knocks his arrows, his moves are as consistent as his demonstration was with Rey earlier, a practiced archer like Lady Corran who must have years of training under his belt.

Before the blindfold is set, he has the nerve to turn his head and wink at Rey. 

Rey feels a second wave of blush coming on.

 _< <Please don’t tell me you’re impressed by that fop.>>_ Kylo says blandly in her head. 

<< _Shut up_ >>, Rey manages.

The crowd is now completely silent, waiting for the final shot of the day to carry out.

Gerald lifts the bow, drawing and taking aim, all without the aid of the Force to guide him, Rey knows.Allomancy, for all its strange power, was limited, and without metals in the equipment would have little benefit even if the noble was bold enough to attempt to use them to his advantage.

There’s a breath, and the Aramate man releases.

Another bullsize. From this distance, it's hard to judge, between Kylo and Gerald, who had the closer hit.

There’s a significant pause of silence, then the crowd erupts.

“And Lord Aramete is not to be outdone.Three bullsizes!Fantastic,” the judge croons.

Gerald pulls the blindfold off with a flourish, making a small bow to the spectators.

“The judges will now examine the targets and deliberate,”the judge calls out. There’s a flurry of movement by the judges table, as the skaa bring Gerald’s paper target over for examination to compare against Kylo's.

Beside Rey, Kylo is frowning.

“That was a hell of a showing, Rey!”Gerald laughs as he approaches the two from the shooting platform.“You really did have me, convincing me you didn’t know the top of the bow from the bottom.If you’d asked me earlier, I’d have wagered a handful of atium you’d be eliminated in the first round.”

Kylo simply stares. 

“Ha, well, um, I seem to have found I have an unknown skill,” Rey stutters.“Should I ever need a new vocation, a potential actor?”

Gerald makes a bow to Rey.“Delightful, Lady.I expect since you’ll be in town for a bit, we’ll be seeing more of that.Perhaps we can find some other way to put that skill to use?”He teases.

Rey doesn’t need the bond to feel Kylo’s hot irritation.

Fortunately, the judges re-emerge and call for the crowd’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen.This has been a most dramatic event to kick off this Passage. After analyzing the targets, the judges have declared the winners of the first trial.”

A pause.

“For the women, we call Lady Rey Maurel as the winner.”A hearty round of applause as all eyes land on Rey, the obvious winner between her shot and Lady Curran's.

The applause dies down as the crowd waits for the second announcement.

“For the men, the judging was more difficult.Much more close.Both Lord Ren and Lord Aramete had _extremely_ impressive showings.”

Rey is holding her breath. 

“By a sliver, really, millimeters if even, Lord Gerald Aramete has the win.” 

Gerald, with all the grace and breeding befitting his station, bows with perfect comport to the crowd as the second wave of applause overtakes them.

Beside her, Rey feels Kylo’s rage and frustration build.It leaks through the bond dangerously.

She does the only thing she can think of in the second to diffuse the situation.

She reaches up to Kylo, standing next to her, and gives him a quick pluck on the cheek.

“Good showing, Lord Ren!” She cries cheerily, ignoring his stunned expression.“Too bad we can’t have two winners, right?”She then quickly turns forward, raising her hand in a small wave to the crowd.

Gerald looks at her with a funny expression, while Kylo remains sufficiently struck to keep his mouth shut as Lord Vaxus himself makes his way over to the winners.

Vaxus’s look is just as stoic and unreadable as earlier.Rey does her best of impression of looking sufficiently humbled under the scrutiny, which is not hard given that Rey is not used to a crowd.Gerald, however, is practically preening. 

“Congratulations to you both,”Vaxus states coldly to Rey and Lord Aramete.There’s an especially long pause as he looks at Gerald, who continues to beam, seemingly oblivious to the hostility of his gaze. “You are both welcome to my home tonight for the post-trial festivities I am hosting.”The way he says it as he looks at Aramete seems to say he is anything but welcome there.

Kylo watches the exchange, visibly seething.

“Lord Ren, is it?” Vaxus unexpectedly turns his gaze toward Kylo.

Kylo looks at the lord directly, with all of his usual hauteur.“Yes."

“You did not win today, but you did exceptionally well.” 

Kylo does not respond to the compliment. 

“I extend an invitation tonight to my gathering, as well,” Lord Vaxus continues, tracing the line of Kylo’s scar, the one Rey dealt him, with his eyes.“You are not from Luthadel, I take it, or I would have heard of you.Nobility with such skills,” he says slowly, “do not escape my notice.”

Kylo has the grace to simply nod, accepting the invitation and not acknowledging the subtext in his words. 

Vaxus then smiles, a small thing that is barely a tick up from the corner of his mouth.

“Very well then.I’ll look forward to seeing both of you,” eyeing both Rey and Kylo Ren, “later.”

Vaxus spins on his heel and turns back toward the castle, leaving Rey to wonder what fresh mines she has to navigate in the evening to come.


End file.
